shift key


noun
  1. a typewriter key that determines whether characters are printed in upper or lower case and controls the printing of numbers and symbols.

  2. Computers. a key that performs the same functions as on a typewriter keyboard and also controls other functions, depending on the program: To print a file, depress the shift key and a function key.

Origin of shift key

1
First recorded in 1900–05

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shift key in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shift key

shift key

noun
  1. a key on a typewriter or computer keyboard used to type capital letters and certain numbers and symbols

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012