Meaning & use
keyed in
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparableinformal
Fully focused on and ready for what is happening; alert and engaged.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb: be, stay, keep, seem.
Patterns
- be keyed in to something
- stay keyed in
She stayed keyed in during the whole meeting and caught every detail.
You need to be keyed in to what customers are saying right now.
verbtransitive
Entered data into a computer or device by typing.
Grammar: Passive form of "key in"; the data is the subject.
Patterns
- be keyed in
- key something in
All the orders were keyed in before noon.
The numbers had been keyed in wrong, so the total was off.
Common combinations
- stay keyed in
- Good managers stay keyed in to their team's mood.
- be keyed in to something
- He is keyed in to the latest trends.
- keyed in to the details
- The new hires are still getting keyed in to the details.
- keep someone keyed in
- Weekly emails keep everyone keyed in.
Synonyms and how they differ
- attentive
- Attentive describes careful listening or watching; keyed in adds the idea of being actively connected to a situation.
- engaged
- Engaged means involved and interested; keyed in is more informal and often suggests up-to-date awareness.
- tuned in
- Tuned in is very close and also informal; it often refers to media or trends rather than work tasks.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: keyed in or key in?
keyed in vs key in
Key in is the verb phrase itself; keyed in is its past participle, used after be or have.
Practice
Which sentence uses "keyed in" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Keyed in to" after "is" describes being alert and informed. Option A needs the verb "key in" with an object like "the data," not a report; option C mixes the literal verb with the adjective pattern; option D drops the -ed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “keyed in”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.