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
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Shift key.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shift%20key. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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