shift key
a typewriter key that determines whether characters are printed in upper or lower case and controls the printing of numbers and symbols.
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
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use shift key in a sentence
On some typewriters there are two shift keys, allowing three sets of characters to be used.
Mechanical Devices in the Home | Edith Louise Allen
British Dictionary definitions for shift key
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
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