a core term appearing frequently in a work or listed at the beginning of an article to represent its main concepts; a core term used in information retrieval or database searches to find relevant material

key; critical; crucial

a significant word or phrase that captures the core concept of a text; also refers to terms used in information retrieval or programming

In ball games, a shot or play that determines the outcome of a game or match.

A crucial state in U.S. presidential elections where the outcome is uncertain and could determine the overall result.

The most important or decisive point in time; a moment of truth

key performance indicator; KPI