church key
UK/ˈtʃəːtʃ.ki/US/ˈtʃɝtʃ.ki/
church key noun: an opener, typically with both can opener and bottle opener features, having a triangular tip that pierces the can.
Noun
church key (plural church keys)
- An opener, typically with both can opener and bottle opener features, having a triangular tip that pierces the can.
- Nobody was killed, but a guy from the rival gang was supposed to have had his eyes popped out with a church key.2008, Ted J. Gouin, Coco Colored Boy, page 36
- "[…]Once you didn't need a church key to open a can of beer much anymore, they didn't need me to go around handing out church keys anymore either."2009, Jim Lehrer, Eureka: A Novel, page 81
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see church, key.
Forms of church key
| plural | church keys |
|---|---|
| alternative form | churchkey |
Origin of church key
See Wikipedia at church key § Etymology.
Questions about church key
- What does church key mean?
- Church key means an opener, typically with both can opener and bottle opener features, having a triangular tip that pierces the can.
- What part of speech is church key?
- Church key is a noun.
- How do you pronounce church key?
- Church key is pronounced /ˈtʃəːtʃ.ki/ (UK).
- What is the plural of church key?
- The plural of church key is church keys.
Words near church key in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: church key (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-church key.ogg.
Cite this entry: “church key.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/church_key. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.