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Latchkey for Dummies

noun

pronunciation: 'læʧ,ki

What does Latchkey really mean?

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Hey there! So, the word "latchkey" is a pretty interesting one. It's used to describe something related to a key and a home. Have you ever seen those old movies or heard stories about kids coming home after school and letting themselves in because their parents weren't there yet? Well, that situation is exactly what "latchkey" refers to.

Imagine you finish your school day, and when you arrive at your house, your parents aren't there yet. But worry not, because you have a special key that opens the front door. You can let yourself in, and voila, you're home! That special key is called a "latchkey." It's like a superpower that allows you to enter your house when nobody else is there.

Now, "latchkey" can also have another meaning. Sometimes, people use it to talk about the kids themselves who have to let themselves into their homes. So, if someone says, "I was a latchkey kid," they mean that they were one of those independent and responsible children who had a key and let themselves in.

So to sum it up, "latchkey" can be either a key that lets you into your house when nobody else is there or a term used to describe kids who have to take care of themselves and let themselves into their homes.

I hope that clarifies things for you!

Revised and Fact checked by Megan Brown on 2023-10-29 00:42:21

Latchkey In a sentece

Learn how to use Latchkey inside a sentece

  • When you come home from school and your parents are still at work, and you have a key to let yourself into the house, you are using the latchkey.
  • If you have a friend who goes straight home after school because their parents are not home yet, they are considered a latchkey kid.
  • If your parents give you responsibility to take care of yourself and your younger sibling after school until they come home, you are assuming the latchkey role.
  • When you have a special key that opens the front door of your house because your parents cannot be there to let you in, it is called a latchkey.
  • If you go to an after-school program because your parents work late, but you have a key to come home on your own, you are part of the latchkey program.

Latchkey Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.

key