Definition, synonyms and related words
Any word used as the key to a code.
"The spy had to memorize the keyword before he could decrypt the secret message from his handler."
In plain English: A keyword is a specific word that helps search engines find and show your content to people looking for it.
"The teacher asked students to find keywords in the text that summarized the main idea."
Usage: In everyday language, a keyword is a specific word or phrase that summarizes the main topic of a document or search query. Use it to describe terms people type into search engines or include in titles and headings so computers can easily find relevant information.
To tag with keywords, as for example to facilitate searching.
"Before publishing her blog post, she spent twenty minutes tagging each article with relevant keywords so readers could easily find what they were looking for."
In plain English: To keyword something means to add important search terms so that people can find it easily online.
"The search engine will keyword your document to find relevant matches."
Usage: Do not use "keyword" as a verb; instead, use the phrasal verb "keyword" something or simply say you are tagging content with keywords. The word functions only as a noun referring to specific terms used for indexing or searching.
The term combines the words key and word, reflecting its function as a specific phrase used to unlock or retrieve information within digital systems. It entered modern usage by adapting the concept of a physical key to describe search terms in computing contexts.