keyhole

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A keyhole is the hole in a door or a lock where you insert a key.

When you think about a keyhole, you probably think of doors and locks. But have you ever stopped to consider what it's like when someone is trying to find their keys? Maybe they're searching around for them on the floor, but can't seem to remember where they put them. Then, finally, they spot the key in its usual place – next to the door with a shiny little hole that matches it perfectly. That little hole is called a keyhole. It's not just something on doors, either – some machines and devices have keyholes too, like pianos or safes.

How common is "keyhole"?

Word keyhole is considered rare in modern English.
It appears most frequently in fiction texts and less often in other writings.

Definitions

noun

The hole in a lock where the key is inserted and turns.
Any small opening resembling the hole for a key in shape or function.
A circle cut out of a garment as a decorative effect, typically at the front or back neckline of a dress.
A hole or excavation in beams intended to be joined together, to receive the key that fastens them.
A mortise for a key or cotter.
(lasers) A transient column of vapor or plasma formed when using high energy beams, such as lasers, for welding or cutting.
Example: keyhole plasma
A welding method in which a hole forms in the surface immediately ahead of the puddle in the direction of welding. The hole is filled as the weld progresses.
The free-throw lane together with the circle surrounding the free-throw line; key.
A gravitational keyhole.

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verb

(ordnance) To strike a target after wobbling in flight so that the long axis of the bullet does not follow the line of flight; typically due to insufficient spin resulting from the rifling in the barrel.

Real examples of "keyhole" in context

Marvel's Doctor Strange Teaser Trailer

Trailers

You're a man looking at the world through a keyhole.

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