shift

verb \ ˈshift \

Updated on: 9 Dec 2017

Definition of shift

transitive verb

1 : to exchange for or replace by another : change

2 a : to change the place, position, or direction of : move

b : to make a change in (place)

3 : to change phonetically

intransitive verb

1 a : to change place or position

b : to change direction

the wind shifted

c : to change gears

d : to depress the shift key (as on a typewriter)

2 a : to assume responsibility

had to shift for themselves

b : to resort to expedients

3 a : to go through a change

she shifted in her approach

b : to change one's clothes

c : to become changed phonetically

—

shiftable

play \ˈshif-tə-bəl\ adjective

— shift gears

: to make a change

See shift defined for English-language learners

See shift defined for kids

Examples of shift in a Sentence

I shifted the bag to my other shoulder.
She shifted her position slightly so she could see the stage better.
They shifted him to a different department.
He nervously shifted from foot to foot.
She shifted in her seat.
Public opinion has shifted dramatically in recent months.
Their efforts to shift public opinion have failed.
I wanted to shift the discussion back to the main point.
They tried to shift the blame onto us.
Their attempts at shifting attention away from the controversy seemed to be working.

Recent Examples of shift from the Web

But there are signs that those attitudes are slowly shifting.

— brad plumer, New York Times, "A Climate Science Report That Changes Minds? Don’t Bet on It," 4 Nov. 2017
Saudi officials have sought a $2 trillion valuation, which could raise enough money to help shift the country’s economy away from its fossil-fuel focus.

— brian fung, Washington Post, "Trump urges Saudi oil company to list its stock on NYSE ahead of massive IPO," 4 Nov. 2017
Instead of being all about how to protect, defend and promote Auburn, his mission and his charge to his subordinates shifted.

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "Jay Jacobs' departure as Auburn AD is long overdue," 4 Nov. 2017
The new opportunity to share things with the world has made people much more active solicitors of attention, and this has fundamentally shifted the economy’s dynamics.

— The Economist, "Less Euromaidan, more GamergateOnce considered a boon to democracy, social media have started to look like its nemesis," 4 Nov. 2017
Background: Groups to rally in Frankfort over pension reform, say plan will 'destroy our public schools' A major part of the proposal would shift public employees from traditional pension plans to 401(k)-like plans.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "'A pension is a promise': Hundreds rally against proposed pension reform plan," 1 Nov. 2017
D’Artagnan, hiding behind the toilet, hisses, and the sound triggers Will, shifting his reality back into the Upside Down.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Real Monster In Stranger Things 2," 30 Oct. 2017
McColl said Actors’ Equity plans to carry out further research to see if the numbers have shifted.

— morgan greene, chicagotribune.com, "What do Chicago theater actors make? A new study looks at inequality in pay, race and gender," 25 Oct. 2017
On working with Diddy Thank God I'm blessed to meet someone like Puff who shifted the culture.

— christine flammia, Esquire, "How French Montana Mixes Street Style With High-End Fashion," 24 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shift.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of shift

Middle English, from Old English sciftan to divide, arrange; akin to Old Norse skipa to arrange, assign

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

shift Synonyms

Synonyms

budge, dislocate, displace, disturb, relocate, remove, reposition, move, transfer, transpose

Antonyms

freeze, still

Related Words

bear, carry, cart, convey, drive, haul, lug, tote, transmit, transplant, transport; replace, supersede, supplant; alter, make over, modify, redo, refashion, remake, remodel, revamp, revise, rework, vary

Near Antonyms

anchor, fix, freeze, moor, secure, set, stabilize; embed (also imbed), entrench (also intrench), implant, ingrain (also engrain), lodge, root

shift

noun

Definition of shift

1 a : a means or device for effecting an end

b (1) : a deceitful or underhand scheme : dodge

(2) : an effort or expedient exerted or tried in difficult circumstances : extremity

was put to hard shifts for a living
—Benjamin Franklin

2 a chiefly dialectal : a change of clothes

b (1) chiefly dialectal : shirt

(2) : a woman's slip or chemise

(3) : a usually loose-fitting or semifitted dress

3 a : a change in direction

a shift in the wind

b : a change in emphasis, judgment, or attitude

4 a : a group of people who work or occupy themselves in turn with other groups

b (1) : a change of one group of people (such as workers) for another in regular alternation

(2) : a scheduled period of work or duty

works the night shift

5 : a change in place or position: such as

a : a change in the position of the hand on a fingerboard (as of a violin)

b (1) : fault 5

(2) : the relative displacement of rock masses on opposite sides of a fault or fault zone

c (1) : a simultaneous change of position in football by two or more players from one side of the line to the other

(2) : a change of positions made by one or more players in baseball to provide better defense against a particular hitter

d : a change in frequency resulting in a change in position of a spectral line or band — compare doppler effect

e : a movement of bits in a computer register a specified number of places to the right or left

6 : a removal from one person or thing to another : transfer

7 : consonant shift

8 : a bid in bridge in a suit other than the suit one's partner has bid — compare jump

9 : gearshift

See shift defined for English-language learners

Examples of shift in a Sentence

There will be a shift of responsibility when she takes the new position.
a shift away from tradition
a gradual shift toward more liberal policies
a shift in voter opinion
The day shift worked overtime.
The restaurant needed only one shift for lunch.
He works the day shift.

Recent Examples of shift from the Web

By the time the 11 o’clock service rolls around, the make-shift sanctuary is almost full.

— emma green, The Atlantic, "The Quiet Religious-Freedom Fight That Is Remaking America," 5 Nov. 2017
Canada play-calls include frequent pre-snap shifts and motions designed to get opposing defenders out of position.

— matt zenitz, AL.com, "Alabama reserve QB Mac Jones arrested for DUI," 3 Nov. 2017
Conspicuous as hell was the name of the governor of Indiana, who in his congressional years had supported a shift of money from AIDS research to conversion therapy for homosexuals.

— Longreads, "The RNC, Revisited," 31 Oct. 2017
Yet as a result of the global financial crisis and specific local political shifts, Corbyn is now the leader of the Labour party and of Her Majesty’s loyal opposition.

— douglas murray, National Review, "The Russian Revolution, 100 Years On: Its Enduring Allure and Menace," 30 Oct. 2017
And Microsoft reported a 12% revenue increase, capitalizing on a shift to cloud computing.

— gerard baker, WSJ, "The 10-Point.," 27 Oct. 2017
The apparatus can either undo the time shift so that the two pulses overlap and interfere like waves or double it so that no interference is possible.

— adrian cho, Science | AAAS, "Quantum experiment in space confirms that reality is what you make it," 27 Oct. 2017
With this recent progressive shift, the brand's already sizable audience has grown even more.

— alyssa hardy, Teen Vogue, "Proenza Schouler Launches PSWL," 26 Oct. 2017
The incoming agents will grow the team that works in shifts to provide him around-the-clock protection, something unheard of for Pruitt's predecessors.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "A Rather Serious Clog in That There Swamp Drain," 24 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of shift

1523

shift Synonyms

Synonyms

expedient, means, move, measure, step

Antonyms

motionlessness

Near Antonyms

immobility; inertia, inertness, stillness; cessation, discontinuance, ending, expiration, finish, halt, lapse, pause, shutdown, shutoff, stop, stoppage, surcease, termination

Synonym Discussion of shift

resource, resort, expedient, shift, makeshift, stopgap mean something one turns to in the absence of the usual means or source of supply. resource and resort apply to anything one falls back upon.

- exhausted all of their resources
- a last resort

expedient may apply to any device or contrivance used when the usual one is not at hand or not possible.

- a flimsy expedient

shift implies a tentative or temporary imperfect expedient.

- desperate shifts to stave off foreclosure

makeshift implies an inferior expedient adopted because of urgent need or allowed through indifference.

- old equipment employed as a makeshift

stopgap applies to something used temporarily as an emergency measure.

- a new law intended only as a stopgap

SHIFT Defined for English Language Learners

shift

verb

Definition of shift for English Language Learners

: to move or to cause (something or someone) to move to a different place, position, etc.
: to change or to cause (something) to change to a different opinion, belief, etc.
: to go or to cause (something) to go from one person or thing to another

shift

noun

Definition of shift for English Language Learners

: a change in position or direction
: a change in how something is done or how people think about something
: a group of people who work together during a scheduled period of time

SHIFT Defined for Kids

shift

verb \ ˈshift \

Definition of shift for Students

shifted; shifting

1 : to change or make a change in place, position, or direction

He … shifted his pipe away from the talking side of his mouth …
—Christopher Paul Curtis, Bud, Not Buddy

2 : to go through a change

Public opinion shifted in his favor.

3 : to change the arrangement of gears transmitting power (as in an automobile)

4 : to get along without help : fend

I can shift for myself.

shift

noun

Definition of shift for Students

1 : a change in place, position, or direction

a shift in the wind

2 : a change in emphasis or attitude

a shift in priorities

3 : a group of workers who work together during a scheduled period of time

4 : the scheduled period of time during which one group of workers is working

5 : gearshift

Medical Dictionary

shift

noun \ ˈshift \

medical Definition of shift

: a change in place, position, or frequency: as

a : a change in frequency resulting in a change in position of a spectral line or band — compare doppler effect

b : a removal or transfer from one thing or place to another — see chloride shift

Learn More about shift

See words that rhyme with shift Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shift Spanish Central: Translation of shift Nglish: Translation of shift for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shift for Arabic speakers

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Definition of shift

shiftable

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Origin and Etymology of shift

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Synonyms

Antonyms

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Near Antonyms

shift

Definition of shift

Examples of shift in a Sentence

Recent Examples of shift from the Web

First Known Use of shift

shift Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of shift

Phrases Related to SHIFT

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SHIFT Defined for English Language Learners

shift

Definition of shift for English Language Learners

shift

Definition of shift for English Language Learners

SHIFT Defined for Kids

shift

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shift

Definition of shift for Students

Medical Dictionary

shift

medical Definition of shift

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