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  • QWERTY
    QWERTY
    adjective
    of or relating to a keyboard having the keys in traditional typewriter arrangement, with the letters q, w, e, r, t, and y being the first six of the top row of alphabetic characters, starting from the left side.
  • qwerty
    qwerty
    noun
    the standard English language typewriter keyboard layout with the characters q, w, e, r, t, and y positioned on the top row of alphabetic characters at the left side of the keyboard

QWERTY

American  
[kwur-tee, kwer-] / ˈkwɜr ti, ˈkwɛr- /

adjective

  1. of or relating to a keyboard having the keys in traditional typewriter arrangement, with the letters q, w, e, r, t, and y being the first six of the top row of alphabetic characters, starting from the left side.


qwerty British  
/ ˈkwɜːtɪ /

noun

  1. the standard English language typewriter keyboard layout with the characters q, w, e, r, t, and y positioned on the top row of alphabetic characters at the left side of the keyboard

"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

Etymology

Origin of QWERTY

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The idea is to marry Apple’s magical touch screen with BlackBerry’s clicking QWERTY.

From Slate Mar. 10, 2015

In a Sept. 25 Lexicon Valley blog post, Kieran Snyder misstated that the TiVO keyboard was not QWERTY.

From Slate Oct. 3, 2014

Here are other arguments the pro-cursive crowd uses to demand classroom time alongside QWERTY.

From Time Jun. 4, 2014

The only people who hate QWERTY, from what I can tell, are Dvorak-layout fans and efficiency experts.

From Forbes Mar. 30, 2014

Launched by SnapKeys, it's "a simple, smart alphabetic keyboard for any age that frees up your whole screen", with the somewhat bullish ambition of putting "an end to QWERTY" with its alphabetical layout.

From The Guardian Jun. 24, 2013

From airport security to pubs and restaurants, even in hospital intensive care, strangers have looked on curiously and even asked to hold and look at my Q10 phone with its distinctive qwerty keyboard.

From BBC Jan. 3, 2022

Whether or not the bill passes, it’s imperative for you to change their passwords—and not to 123456, password, or qwerty.

From Slate Sep. 21, 2018

Tomlinson might have started with the first five letters on the upper left side of the typewriter, the ubiquitous if meaningless qwerty.

From Washington Post Jul. 25, 2016

The company relied on its own operating system and qwerty keyboard to once dominate the smartphone market by offering secure devices that made typing and emailing easier for bankers, lawyers and other professionals.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 2, 2015

Blass went on to reveal a new rendering that echoes the current BlackBerry Passport in size and style. The point of interest here is the extra ‘soft’ keys above the three rows of physical qwerty keys.

From Forbes Jul. 3, 2015

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