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key vs shift

shift vs key

key and shift both are nouns.

key is an adjective but shift is not an adjective.

key and shift both are verbs.

Word NounAdjectiveVerbAdverb
key Yes Yes Yes No
shift Yes No Yes No
As nouns, shift is a hyponym of key; that is, shift is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than key:
  • key: a lever (as in a keyboard) that actuates a mechanism when depressed
  • shift: the key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-case letters to upper-case letters
key (noun) shift (noun)
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated the act of moving from one place to another
a lever (as in a keyboard) that actuates a mechanism when depressed the act of changing one thing or position for another
mechanical device used to wind another device that is driven by a spring (as a clock) a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist
the central building block at the top of an arch or vault a woman's sleeveless undergarment
pitch of the voice the key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-case letters to upper-case letters
something crucial for explaining an event in which something is displaced without rotation
any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music a qualitative change
a generic term for any device whose possession entitles the holder to a means of access a crew of workers who work for a specific period of time
a list of words or phrases that explain symbols or abbreviations (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
a list of answers to a test the time period during which you are at work
(basketball) a space (including the foul line) in front of the basket at each end of a basketball court; usually painted a different color from the rest of the court
a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida
a winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple
a kilogram of a narcotic drug
key (adjective) shift (adjective)
serving as an essential component
key (verb) shift (verb)
harmonize with or adjust to make a shift in or exchange of
regulate the musical pitch of move and exchange for another
identify as in botany or biology, for example lay aside, abandon, or leave for another
vandalize a car by scratching the sides with a key move from one setting or context to another
provide with a key change in quality
change gears
change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change
use a shift key on a keyboard
change place or direction
move very slightly
move around
move abruptly
move sideways or in an unsteady way
Difference between key and shift

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