key card

noun

plural key cards

: a small usually plastic card that contains encoded data to electronically open or access something (such as a door or a system)

Hotel room doors are often accessed by a key card programmed by the front desk.

—Kara Godfrey

Morrill Hall has an open lobby but requires key cards to enter elevators to get to dorm rooms.

—The Associated Press State & Local Wire

… a plan to buy a $1 million key card voting system …

—Hillary Chabot

Examples of key card in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cabin guests can access the lounge 24/7 with their key card, but a desk is staffed during working hours to assist with check-in, rentals, and the shuttle to the main lodge. —Taylor McIntyre, Travel + Leisure, 11 Dec. 2024

After searching the pair, the police found that Richards had a key card to the JW Marriott Hotel in Bloomington. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2024

Puzzles range from the surreal, like finding a clearly out-of-time object to appease a ghost, to practical, like finding key cards and fixing the building’s HVAC. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2024

And with more guests using digital key cards, some guests will never interact with the front desk. —Richard Sine, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above