Meaning & use
key term
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Meanings
nouncountable
An important word or phrase you must understand in order to follow a subject or text.
Grammar: Countable and often plural: learn the key terms before the exam.
Patterns
- define the key terms
- the key terms of something
Before the lecture, the teacher wrote five key terms on the board.
The chapter begins with a list of key terms in bold type.
Make sure you can define each key term in your own words.
nounusually pluralbusiness
A main condition or provision of an agreement or contract.
Grammar: Usually plural in business: the key terms of the deal.
Patterns
- the key terms of something
- agree the key terms
The lawyers met to agree the key terms of the lease.
One key term of the contract was a thirty-day notice period.
He summarized the key terms of the offer in a short email.
Word forms
| plural | key terms |
|---|
Common combinations
- define key terms
- Define the key terms before you start the essay.
- learn the key terms
- Students should learn the key terms for each unit.
- glossary of key terms
- A glossary of key terms appears at the end of the book.
- key terms of the agreement
- Both sides accepted the key terms of the agreement.
- highlight key terms
- She highlighted the key terms in yellow.
Synonyms and how they differ
- keyword
- Keyword is often used for search engines and indexing, while key term suggests an idea you must understand.
- core concept
- Core concept is an idea, while a key term is the actual word or phrase that names it.
- buzzword
- Buzzword is a fashionable word, often used without much meaning, while a key term is truly essential.
- vocabulary item
- Vocabulary item is neutral and includes any word taught, whereas a key term is specifically important.
Word family
- term noun
- a word or phrase with a particular meaning
- terminology noun
- the special words used in a subject
- keyword noun
- an important word used in searching or summarizing
- key adjective
- very important
Commonly confused: key term or keyword?
key term vs keyword
A keyword is a word used to search or classify information, while a key term is a word you need to learn to understand a topic.
Practice
At the start of each unit, the textbook lists the ______ you will need to understand the chapter.
Choose one answer.
Key terms are the essential words of a topic. The other options use key or term in unrelated senses.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “key term”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.