Having forgotten his key, he was able to open the door by inserting a wire in the keyhole.
Source: tatoeba (934186)
Keyhole
/ˈkiˌhoʊl/
Synonyms for "keyhole" (39 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (8)
Strong matches (12)
Related words (19)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: air hole, aperture, armhole, blowhole, bullet-hole.
- Sentence evidence is available for keyhole, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, opengloss.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "keyhole".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "keyhole"
Keep "keyhole" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "keyhole" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "keyhole", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "keyhole" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
7 entriesMore specific
8 entriesCollocations
10 entriesdoor keyholekeyhole approachkeyhole camerakeyhole incisionkeyhole openingkeyhole procedurekeyhole slotkeyhole surgerykeyhole-shapedlock keyhole
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
58 translations across 48 languages.
Armenian
1 entries- բանալու անցք noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Bulgarian
1 entries- ключалка noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 鎖匙窿 /锁匙窿 noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 鎖孔 /锁孔 noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
- 鑰匙孔 /钥匙孔 noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Czech
1 entries- klíčová dírka noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Danish
1 entries- nøglehul noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Dutch
1 entries- sleutelgat noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Esperanto
1 entries- ŝlosiltruo noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Finnish
1 entries- avaimenreikä noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
French
1 entries- trou de la serrure noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Galician
3 entries- fechadura noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
- ferrollo noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
- pechadura noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Georgian
1 entries- კლიტის ჭუჭრუტანა noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
German
1 entries- Schlüsselloch noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Greek
1 entries- κλειδαρότρυπα noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Greenlandic
1 entries- matuersaaserfik noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Hebrew
1 entries- חור המנעול noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Hungarian
1 entries- kulcslyuk noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Icelandic
1 entries- skráargat noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Indonesian
1 entries- lubang kunci noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Irish
1 entries- poll eochrach noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Italian
2 entries- buco della serratura noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
- toppa noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Japanese
1 entries- 鍵穴 noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Korean
1 entries- 열쇠 구멍 noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Latin
1 entries- claustellum noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Luxembourgish
1 entries- Schlëssellach noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Macedonian
1 entries- клучалка noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Malay
1 entries- lubang kunci noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Mongolian
1 entries- цоожны нүх noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- nøkkelhull noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Persian
1 entries- سوراخ کلید noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- Schlätelloch noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Polish
1 entries- dziurka od klucza noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Portuguese
2 entries- fechadura noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
- tranca noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Romanian
1 entries- gaura cheii noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Russian
1 entries- замо́чная сква́жина noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- ključaonica noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
- ključnica noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
- кључаоница noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
- кључница noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Slovak
1 entries- kľúčová dierka noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Slovene
1 entries- ključanica noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Spanish
2 entries- bocallave noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
- ojo (de la cerradura) noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Swedish
1 entries- nyckelhål noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Tagalog
2 entries- butas-susian noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
- susian noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Tajik
1 entries- сӯрохи калид noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Thai
1 entries- รูกุญแจ noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Tibetan
1 entries- ལྡེ་ཁུང noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Turkish
1 entries- anahtar deliği noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Ukrainian
1 entries- за́мкова щі́ли́на noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Vietnamese
1 entries- lỗ khoá noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Volapük
1 entries- kikahog noun (a hole to lock/unlock with a key)
Sample sentences
12 total sentences available.
Tom tried to look through the keyhole, but couldn't see anything.
Source: tatoeba (1092626)
Tom couldn't resist peeking through the keyhole.
Source: tatoeba (1095073)
I can't find the keyhole.
Source: tatoeba (2258730)
Showing 4 of 12 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "keyhole"?
Closest matches include air hole, aperture, armhole, blowhole, bullet-hole.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "keyhole"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.