shift

/ʃɪft/

/ʃɪft/

Other forms: shifted; shifting; shifts

Shift the verb and shift the noun are very similar in meaning. A shift is a change in something or an adjustment in the way something is done. You can either make a shift (that's the noun), or you can just shift (that's the verb).

What makes a shift different from, say, a change is that it implies some kind of movement; a sense that the thing that you're shifting is still the same thing, just moving in a different direction. For example, when you shift gears in a car you're simply moving from one gear to another. If you shift your focus, you're still focused, but the focus has moved. If the government shifts its policy, that policy, while different, is still a policy.

Definitions of shift

1. verb

   move very slightly
   “He shifted in his seat”

   synonyms: agitate, budge, stir

   type of:

   move

   move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
2. verb

   move sideways or in an unsteady way
   synonyms: careen, tilt, wobble

   type of:

   move

   move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
3. verb

   move abruptly
   synonyms: lurch, pitch

   type of:

   move

   move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
4. verb

   change place or direction
   “Shift one's position”

   synonyms: dislodge, reposition

   types:

   beat down

   dislodge from a position

   type of:

   displace, move

   cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
5. verb

   move around
   synonyms: transfer

   types:

   transpose

   transfer a quantity from one side of an equation to the other side reversing its sign, in order to maintain equality

   shunt

   transfer to another track, of trains

   carry

   transfer (a number, cipher, or remainder) to the next column or unit's place before or after, in addition or multiplication

   shuffle

   move about, move back and forth

   transship

   transfer for further transportation from one ship or conveyance to another

   bunker

   transfer cargo from a ship to a warehouse

   carry forward, carry over

   transfer from one time period to the next

   remove, transfer

   shift the position or location of, as for business, legal, educational, or military purposes

   translocate

   transfer (a chromosomal segment) to a new position

   type of:

   displace, move

   cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
6. verb

   change in quality
   “His tone shifted”

   type of:

   change

   undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
7. verb

   move and exchange for another
   “shift the date for our class reunion”

   type of:

   exchange, interchange, replace, substitute

   put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items
8. verb

   lay aside, abandon, or leave for another
   synonyms: change, switch

   change, commute, convert, exchange

   exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category

   change

   change clothes; put on different clothes

   types:

   transition

   make or undergo a transition (from one state or system to another)

   break

   change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another

   channel-surf, surf

   switch channels, on television

   jump, leap

   pass abruptly from one state or topic to another

   diphthongise, diphthongize

   change from a simple vowel to a diphthong

   cut

   make an abrupt change of image or sound

   break

   change directions suddenly

   break

   undergo breaking

   cut away

   move quickly to another scene or focus when filming
9. verb

   move from one setting or context to another
   “shift the emphasis”

   “shift one's attention”

   types:

   transfer, transplant, transpose

   transfer from one place or period to another

   type of:

   alter, change, modify

   cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
10. verb

    make a shift in or exchange of
    synonyms: change over, switch

    types:

    back

    shift to a counterclockwise direction

    veer

    shift to a clockwise direction

    type of:

    alter, change, modify

    cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
11. verb

    change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change
    “Grimm showed how the consonants shifted”

    type of:

    change

    undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
12. verb

    change gears
    “you have to shift when you go down a steep hill”

    type of:

    change, switch

    lay aside, abandon, or leave for another
13. noun

    the act of moving from one place to another
    synonyms: shifting

    type of:

    motion, move, movement

    the act of changing location from one place to another
14. noun

    the act of changing one thing or position for another
    synonyms: switch, switching

    types:

    switcheroo

    a sudden unexpected switch

    type of:

    change

    the action of changing something
15. noun

    a qualitative change
    synonyms: transformation, transmutation

    types:

    advance, betterment, improvement

    a change for the better; progress in development

    population shift

    a change in the relative numbers of the different groups of individuals making up a population

    pyrolysis

    transformation of a substance produced by the action of heat

    sea change

    a profound transformation

    sublimation

    (chemistry) a change directly from the solid to the gaseous state without becoming liquid

    tin disease, tin pest, tin plague

    the transformation of ordinary white tin into powdery grey tin at very cold temperatures

    changeover, conversion, transition

    an event that results in a transformation

    degeneration, retrogression

    passing from a more complex to a simpler biological form

    strengthening

    becoming stronger

    weakening

    becoming weaker

    renaissance, resurgence, revitalisation, revitalization, revival, revivification

    bringing again into activity and prominence

    debilitation, enervation, enfeeblement, exhaustion

    serious weakening and loss of energy

    elaboration, refinement

    the result of improving something

    accommodation, adjustment, fitting

    making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances

    glycogenesis

    the conversion of glucose to glycogen when the glucose in the blood exceeds the demand

    isomerisation, isomerization

    the conversion of a compound into an isomer of itself

    rectification

    the conversion of alternating current to direct current

    conservation, preservation

    an occurrence of improvement by virtue of preventing loss or injury or other change

    recovery

    return to an original state

    atrophy, withering

    any weakening or degeneration (especially through lack of use)

    attenuation, fading

    weakening in force or intensity

    downfall, fall

    a sudden decline in strength or number or importance

    abiotrophy

    a loss of vitality and a degeneration of cells and tissues not due to any apparent injury

    cataplasia

    (biology) degenerative reversion of cells or tissue to a less differentiated or more primitive form

    loosening, relaxation, slackening

    an occurrence of control or strength weakening

    type of:

    alteration, change, modification

    an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
16. noun

    an event in which something is displaced without rotation
    synonyms: displacement

    types:

    amplitude

    (physics) the maximum displacement of a periodic wave

    luxation

    displacement or misalignment of a joint or organ

    subluxation

    partial displacement of a joint or organ

    type of:

    translation

    a uniform movement without rotation
17. noun

    (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
    synonyms: break, fault, faulting, fracture, geological fault

    examples:

    Denali Fault

    a major open geological fault in Alaska

    San Andreas Fault

    a major geological fault in California; runs from San Diego to San Francisco; the source of serious earthquakes

    types:

    inclined fault

    a geological fault in which one side is above the other

    strike-slip fault

    a geological fault in which one of the adjacent surfaces appears to have moved horizontally

    common fault, gravity fault, normal fault

    an inclined fault in which the hanging wall appears to have slipped downward relative to the footwall

    overthrust fault, reverse fault, thrust fault

    a geological fault in which the upper side appears to have been pushed upward by compression

    type of:

    cleft, crack, crevice, fissure, scissure

    a long narrow opening
18. verb

    use a shift key on a keyboard
    “She could not shift so all her letters are written in lower case”

    type of:

    type, typewrite

    write by means of a keyboard with types
19. noun

    the key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-case letters to upper-case letters
    synonyms: shift key

    type of:

    key

    a lever (as in a keyboard) that actuates a mechanism when depressed
20. noun

    the time period during which you are at work
    synonyms: duty period, work shift

    types:

    go, spell, tour, turn

    a time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

    trick

    a period of work or duty

    watch

    a period of time (4 or 2 hours) during which some of a ship's crew are on duty

    day shift

    the work shift during the day (as 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

    evening shift, swing shift

    the work shift during the evening (as 4 p.m. to midnight)

    graveyard shift, night shift

    the work shift during the night (as midnight to 8 a.m.)

    split shift

    a working shift divided into two periods of time with several hours in between

    dogwatch

    either of two short watches: from 4-6 pm or 6-8 pm

    graveyard watch, middle watch, midwatch, night watch

    a watch during the night (as from midnight to 8 a.m.)

    type of:

    hours

    a period of time assigned for work
21. noun

    a crew of workers who work for a specific period of time
    types:

    day shift, day watch

    workers who work during the day (as 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

    evening shift

    workers who work during the evening (as 4 p.m. to midnight)

    graveyard shift, night shift

    workers who work during the night (as midnight to 8 a.m.)

    relay

    a crew of workers who relieve another crew

    type of:

    crew, gang, work party

    an organized group of workers
22. noun

    a woman's sleeveless undergarment
    synonyms: chemise, shimmy, slip, teddy

    type of:

    undergarment, unmentionable

    a garment worn under other garments
23. noun

    a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist
    synonyms: chemise, sack

    type of:

    dress, frock

    a one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice