What is upper case
Upper-case letters Definition & Meaning
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Capital letters. (Compare lower-case letters.)
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Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Words nearby upper-case letters
upper bound, Upper Canada, Upper Canadian, Upper Carboniferous, uppercase, upper-case letters, upper chamber, Upper Chinook, upper class, upperclassman, upper crust
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
MORE ABOUT UPPER CASE LETTERS
What are
uppercase letters?Uppercase letters are capital letters—the bigger, taller versions of letters (like W), as opposed to the smaller versions, which are called lowercase letters (like w).
Uppercase means the same thing as capital. Uppercase letters can also be called capitals.
Some uppercase letters are just larger, taller versions of their lowercase counterparts (like uppercase W and lowercase w or uppercase C and lowercase c), but in many cases the two versions of the letter take different forms altogether, such as uppercase A and lowercase a or uppercase B and lowercase b.
To capitalize a word is to make its first letter an uppercase letter. For example, to capitalize the word polish (which is here spelled with a lowercase p), you would write it with an uppercase P, as Polish.
The state of being capitalized or uppercase (or the process of making a letter an uppercase letter) is called capitalization, as in Please check your paper for proper punctuation and capitalization.
In English, uppercase letters are used at the beginning of words for a few different reasons. It is considered a standard rule of English to use an uppercase letter to start proper nouns (which are nouns that refer to specific people, places, or things—meaning one’s that have specific names), such as Jess, Mexico, and Nintendo. Using an uppercase letter at the start of a word can change the way the reader interprets its meaning, as in the case of polish (a verb meaning to make something shinier) and Polish (an adjective describing someone from Poland) or apple (the fruit) and Apple (the company).
We also use an uppercase letter for the first letter of the first word in a sentence. Sometimes, we use an uppercase letter for the first letter of each word in a title, as in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. This is sometimes called title case.
Some acronyms and abbreviations are written using all uppercase letters, such as NASA and U.S. A word written entirely in uppercase letters (like WHAT) is said to be written in caps or all caps.
Example: A lot of people don’t bother using uppercase letters in text messages unless they want to emphasize something.
Where does
uppercase letter come from?The term uppercase letter has been used since at least the 1730s. The words uppercase and lowercase come from printing. The process of physically printing things with printing presses involved trays, called cases, that were divided into compartments for holding different kinds of type (blocks with letters on them). The upper case held capital letters and the lower case held what came to be known as lowercase letters.
It can be confusing to know whether or not to use an uppercase letter in certain situations, but a capitalization guide can help.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to uppercase letter?
- upper-case letter (alternate hyphenated spelling)
- upper case letter (alternate two-word spelling)
What are some synonyms for uppercase letter?
- capital letter
- capital
- uppercase (when uppercase is used as a noun)
What are some words that share a root or word element with uppercase letter?
- uppercase
- lowercase
- lowercase letter
- letter
What are some words that often get used in discussing uppercase letter?
- capitalize
- capitalization
- spelling
- first
- word
- sentence
- title
How are
uppercase letters used in real life?Uppercase letters are used in the beginning of names and other proper nouns, at the beginning of sentences, at the beginning of words in titles, and in some abbreviations. In casual use, a word might be written in uppercase letters for emphasis.
She’s back with the classics and the riddles and the puzzles. The uppercase letters say APRIL NINTH. 👏🏻 @taylorswift13 You deserve this, so much. 💛 https://t.co/x7KsswdBPj
— anne⁰⁰ ఌ😺 (@ANNEtisocial) February 11, 2021
Identifying and matching uppercase and lowercase letters using these colorful underwater themed cards. Games make learning fun! 🐟 🐠 #IslipENL #LearningIsFun @WingElemIslip pic.twitter.com/QjUSLvuZ57
— Jaclyn Brady (@JaclynBrady17) February 5, 2021
i wonder if i’ll ever use uppercase letters for anything besides emphasis again
— h☼ (@hl_cutie) July 8, 2019
Try using
uppercase letters!Which of the following kinds of words is often spelled with an uppercase letter at the beginning?
A. proper nouns
B. the first word in a sentence
C. the first word in a title
D. all of the above
How to use upper-case letters in a sentence
Certain features of its history suggest why this may be the case.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
And, in the case of fluoride, at least, that doubt might actually be justified.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Her latest book, Heretic: The Case for a Muslim Reformation, will be published in April by HarperCollins.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Their friendship began when Krauss, who was chairman of the physics department at Case Western in Cleveland, sought out Epstein.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A grand juror in the Ferguson case is suing to be able to explain exactly what went down in the courtroom.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Perhaps you do not speak my language,” she said in Urdu, the tongue most frequently heard in Upper India.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The case was an assault and battery that came off between two men named Brown and Henderson.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
In this case, I suspect, there was co-operant a strongly marked childish characteristic, the love of producing an effect.
Children's Ways|James Sully
On the upper part of the stem the whorls are very close together, but they are more widely separated at the lower portion.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Sometimes in the case of large plants, cones have been known to occur on the tips of the branches of the Marsh Horsetail.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Uppercase Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.
com- Top Definitions
- Quiz
- Related Content
- More About Uppercase
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- British
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
[ uhp-er-keys ]
/ ˈʌp ərˈkeɪs /
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See synonyms for uppercase on Thesaurus.com
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
(of an alphabetical character) capital.
Printing. pertaining to or belonging in the upper case.
verb (used with object), up·per·cased, up·per·cas·ing.
to print or write with an uppercase letter.
noun
a capital letter.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Compare lowercase.
Origin of uppercase
First recorded in 1730–40; upper1 + case2
Words nearby uppercase
Upper Austria, upper bound, Upper Canada, Upper Canadian, Upper Carboniferous, uppercase, upper-case letters, upper chamber, Upper Chinook, upper class, upperclassman
Other definitions for uppercase (2 of 2)
upper case
noun Printing.
See under case2 (def. 8).
Origin of upper case
First recorded in 1675–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
MORE ABOUT UPPERCASE
What does
uppercase mean?Uppercase means the same thing as capital in capital letter—the bigger, taller version of a letter (like W), as opposed to the smaller version, which is called a lowercase letter (like w).
Uppercase letters can also be called capitals.
Some uppercase letters are just larger, taller versions of their lowercase counterparts (like uppercase W and lowercase w or uppercase C and lowercase c), but in many cases the two versions of the letter take different forms altogether, such as uppercase A and lowercase a or uppercase B and lowercase b.
Uppercase can also be used as a verb meaning the same thing as capitalize—to make a letter a capital or uppercase letter. For example, to uppercase the word polish (which is here spelled with a lowercase p), you would write it with an uppercase P, as Polish.
The state of being capitalized or uppercase (or the process of making a letter uppercase) is called capitalization, as in Please check your paper for proper punctuation and capitalization.
In English, uppercase letters are used at the beginning of words for a few different reasons. It is considered a standard rule of English to use an uppercase letter to start proper nouns (which are nouns that refer to specific people, places, or things—meaning one’s that have specific names), such as Jess, Mexico, and Nintendo. Using an uppercase letter at the start of a word can change the way the reader interprets its meaning, as in the case of polish (a verb meaning to make something shinier) and Polish (an adjective describing someone from Poland) or apple (the fruit) and Apple (the company).
We also use an uppercase letter for the first letter of the first word in a sentence. Sometimes, we use an uppercase letter for the first letter of each word in a title, as in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. This is sometimes called title case.
Some acronyms and abbreviations are written using all uppercase letters, such as NASA and U. S. A word written entirely in uppercase letters (like WHAT) is said to be written in caps or all caps.
Example: A lot of people don’t bother using uppercase letters in text messages unless they want to emphasize something.
Where does
uppercase come from?The first records of the word uppercase come from the 1730s. The words uppercase and lowercase come from printing. The process of physically printing things with printing presses involved trays, called cases, that were divided into compartments for holding different kinds of type (blocks with letters on them). The upper case held capital letters and the lower case held what came to be known as lowercase letters.
It can be confusing to know whether or not to use an uppercase letter in certain situations, but a capitalization guide can help.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to uppercase?
- upper-case (alternate hyphenated spelling)
- upper case (alternate two-word spelling)
What are some synonyms for uppercase?
- capital (when uppercase is used as an adjective)
- capital letter (when uppercase is used as a noun)
- capitalize (when uppercase is used as a verb)
What are some words that share a root or word element with uppercase?
- lowercase
What are some words that often get used in discussing uppercase?
- letter
- capitalization
- spelling
- first
- word
- sentence
- title
How is
uppercase used in real life?Uppercase letters are used in the beginning of names and other proper nouns, at the beginning of sentences, at the beginning of words in titles, and in some abbreviations. In casual use, a word might be written in uppercase for emphasis.
upset cause i cant capitalize numbers. i feel like there shld be lowercase and uppercase numbers.
— vi ♡’s maria & pg (@CANY0NVIA) February 11, 2021
Identifying and matching uppercase and lowercase letters using these colorful underwater themed cards. Games make learning fun! 🐟 🐠 #IslipENL #LearningIsFun @WingElemIslip pic.twitter.com/QjUSLvuZ57
— Jaclyn Brady (@JaclynBrady17) February 5, 2021
Please understand that when I type in uppercase i’m probably:
-Yelling
-Excited
-Surprised
-Frustrated
-Angry
-Wanna highlight a certain word
-Or just to lazy to change it back
Thank you. Good day.— nesma the owner of truce (@cutmytrucee) September 18, 2020
Try using
uppercase!Which of the following kinds of words is often spelled with an uppercase letter at the beginning?
A. proper nouns
B. the first word in a sentence
C. the first word in a title
D. all of the above
Words related to uppercase
cap, capital, majuscule, capital letter
How to use uppercase in a sentence
Thus the lowercase f and y and the uppercase Q are shorn of their due proportions.
The Booklover and His Books|Harry Lyman Koopman
He used combinations of uppercase and lowercase letters in two sizes in the inscriptions on the clock dial and in his writings.
Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 240|Anonymous
The uppercase letters found within words are copied off in the order in which they appear in the inscription or phrase.
Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 240|Anonymous
British Dictionary definitions for uppercase
upper case
/ printing /
noun
the top half of a compositor's type case in which capital letters, reference marks, and accents are kept
adjective (upper-case when prenominal)
of or relating to capital letters kept in this case and used in the setting or production of printed or typed matter
verb upper-case
(tr) to print with upper-case letters; capitalize
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
What is the uppercase character on the keyboard
The first thing that falls into the hands of a computer user is a keyboard and a mouse. The ability to use various functions with the help of these attributes allows you to quickly solve tasks. If you ask a beginner what upper case is, he will probably point to the keys located at the top. In fact, this is far from being the case.
Contents of the article
- Understanding upper and lower case on the keyboard
- Where is the upper case
- Ways to switch case on the keyboard
What is the upper and lower case on the keyboard
These concepts have come down to us since the days of typewriters. When typing, the usual type of writing was performed in the standard position of the equipment, which was called the lower one, and capital letters were applied to the paper when the position of the printing rods was changed, by moving them to the upper position. It is this function that the keyboards of modern mobile and stationary printing devices are endowed with.
By means of the “Shift” functional transfer button from one mode to another, the PC user can switch to uppercase or uppercase letters when writing texts, depending on the content requirements. At the same time, the numbers indicate punctuation marks or other symbols that are used when printing documents. In other words, uppercase is a printing mode in which letters become uppercase and numbers change to symbols. The lower one is the usual image of numbers and letters.
Where is the uppercase
Two keys for switching from one print mode to another are located on the keyboard: one on the lower left, and the other on the right - also at the bottom. This is done for the convenience of fast typing. If the letter to be capitalized is on the right, then the left side is used. When switching, press simultaneously, first "Shift" and then the desired character. And when the desired character is located on the left - vice versa. If it is convenient for the user to press both keys with one hand, then he does just that, for example, to display a comma!
ATTENTION! The keyboard of some mobile devices may have only one "Shift" key. This is due to the compact size of office equipment.
The ease of use of the upper mode allows you to quickly switch the function of the desired symbol from one position to another. In addition, on the left, above the "Shift" button, there is a key labeled "Caps Lock", which has the same functionality, but a different principle of operation.
Keyboard shifting methods
When typing texts, two switching modes are used:
- short-term;
- long.
The first of the listed methods switches the keyboard only at the moment of pressing the "Shift" key. As soon as the user releases it, printing continues in the normal mode - in capital letters.
The second method allows, after pressing the "Caps Lock" button, to change to uppercase and type capital letters until there is no need to use them. A separate keyboard indicator lights up when this mode is enabled and goes out only when the specified key is pressed again, which confirms the transition to uppercase symbols.
IMPORTANT! When "Caps Lock" is on, using the "Shift" button will have the opposite effect: when pressed, normal characters, and when released, capital letters.
Long mode is used when writing headings or emphasizing article titles.
The ability to quickly change from one case to another allows PC users to easily type the required texts by quickly inserting the necessary characters and capital letters.