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Alt key

American

[awlt] / ɔlt /

noun

Computers.

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.

Etymology

Origin of Alt key

First recorded in 1980–85

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.

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

Debian comes with six virtual consoles enabled by default, which you access with the Alt key and function keys F1 through F6.

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023