right-click

verb

right-clicked; right-clicking

transitive + intransitive

: to press the rightmost button on a computer mouse or similar input device
If you're using Chrome, Firefox or Safari 9, right-click on a browser tab and choose "Pin Tab."Kim Komando
The toolbar can be turned off by right-clicking it and deselecting it from Explorer's list of available toolbars.Edward Mendelson

Note: In many modern computer interfaces, right-clicking will by default cause a menu of options to display. The specific options offered will vary according to the situation or chosen setup.

compare left-click

Examples of right-click in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Again, right-click on the ruler to see if such an option exists. Barry Collins, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024 To close out an app or process, right-click and hit End task. Kim Komando, Fox News, 22 Jan. 2024 When you’re done working with sensitive files, right-click the drive and choose Eject. PCMAG, 22 Jan. 2024 Meanwhile, the mouse offers left- and right-click buttons as well as a scroll wheel with middle click capability. Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2024 Photograph: Julian Chokkattu This time around, Microsoft also added a new haptic touchpad with adjustable click sensitivity and a right-click area. WIRED, 21 Sep. 2023 Microsoft is working on a force quit option to close apps without the Task Manager in Windows 11 simply from a right-click option in the taskbar. Tom Warren, The Verge, 16 Aug. 2023 Scroll over to the Windows icon on the left side of your taskbar and right-click it to open up a list of actions. Hunter Fenollol, Popular Mechanics, 26 July 2023 Until recently, adding alt text to images was hidden behind a right-click menu. Wes Davis, The Verge, 22 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'right-click.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of right-click was in 1989

Dictionary Entries Near right-click

Cite this Entry

“Right-click.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/right-click. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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