shift key

noun

: a key on a keyboard that when pressed enables an alternate set of characters to be produced by the other keys

Examples of shift key in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The ? and shift keys function as left and right mouse buttons. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2024 For example, take an extremely benign post about changes to the iOS keyboard’s shift key in iOS 7.1. Jay Peters, The Verge, 10 July 2024 For the most part, each key on a QWERTY keyboard was assigned only two symbols, one of which required the operator to depress and hold the shift key to access. IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2024 The awkward to use transmission shift keys on the dashboard have been replaced with the same electronic column shift lever also found in the Silverado. Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 Replacing the dash in the Ability 1 slot (i.e. your shift key or left controller bumper by default) is Petal Platform, which was previously bound to the alt fire input. Kris Holt, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, would shift key powers from school-level councils of teachers and parents to district superintendents. Morgan Watkins, The Courier-Journal, 8 Jan. 2022 That keyboard has also been tweaked to have a longer right shift key and shorter directional keys; previous models had awkwardly stuck the up key between the shift and forward slash keys. Jeff Dunn, Ars Technica, 21 May 2020 Gretchen McCulloch Early on, when most people’s typing was happening on desktop or laptop computers, the easy way to type was to just ignore the shift key and put everything in lower case. Megan McDonough, Vox, 29 July 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shift key was in 1883

Dictionary Entries Near shift key

Cite this Entry

“Shift key.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shift%20key. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

shift key

noun
: a key on a keyboard that when pressed allows a different set of characters to be produced by the other keys
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!