Alt key

American  

[awlt] / ɔlt /

noun

Computers.

1. either of two keys on a PC keyboard that is held down while pressing another key, as to perform a specific operation or type a special character.

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Etymology

Origin of Alt key

First recorded in 1980–85

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Alt key

The US International Keyboard gives you two ways to add a special character: Use the right-hand Alt key in combination with the appropriate letter to get one of the more common combinations.

From The Verge ● Apr. 26, 2022

The experimenter then accused the students of hitting the Alt key.

From Science Magazine ● Jun. 13, 2019

He warned them that the system had a glitch and that hitting the Alt key would trigger a crash.

From Science Magazine ● Jun. 13, 2019

Often called “zero slash” or “slash zero,” you can make this symbol in Windows by holding down the Alt key, then typing “0216” on the numeric keypad .

From Washington Post ● Jul. 16, 2018

Some keyboards have both Alt and Meta; most home computers have only Alt, but the Alt key behaves like a Meta key.

From Debian GNU/Linux : Guide to Installation and Usage by John Goerzen

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