shift key

Save This Word!

noun

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.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of shift key

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby shift key

shift bid, shifter, shift for oneself, shifting cultivation, shifting spanner, shift key, shiftless, shift lever, shift lock, shift to left, shift to right

How to use shift key in a sentence

Do you think that as we get older our thoughts shift to the more abstract, the music, than the definite, the lyrics?
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Getting men to do their share of care and domestic work is a key overlooked strategy in reducing poverty.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As Sutton shows in his book, the important shift took place gradually, from the end of the Civil War until World War II.
The Evangelical Apocalypse Is All Your Fault|Jay Michaelson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Most other social justice movements are seeking some shift of power and money.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

By contrast, Solomon can tell us a great deal about what really changed the country—because at key moments, he was there.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Jones swung round a large iron key he held in his hand, and light dawned upon him.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Mr. Collingwood, taking the key from his mother, locked the little door in the boarding, after them.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
About her neck was hung a covered basket and a door-key; and Davy at once concluded that she was Sindbad's house-keeper.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
The girl smiled, and drew out a large key, and nodded, still smiling as she replaced it.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
The friends were standing close to the wall; but on these sounds they moved away; and a key presently turned in the door.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter

British Dictionary definitions for shift key

shift key

noun

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