Definition

1. Noun:

   • A change in position or direction: The act of moving or being moved from one place, position, or state to another.
   • A scheduled work period: A group of workers who work together during a specific period, or the period itself.
   • A simple dress: A straight, loose-fitting dress hanging from the shoulders.
   • A key on a keyboard: The key that changes the function of other keys, such as enabling capital letters.
   • A gear change in a vehicle: The mechanism or action of changing gears.
   • A fault in geology: A crack in the earth's crust where sections of rock have moved.

2. Verb:

   • To move or change position: To move or cause something to move from one place, position, or direction to another.
   • To change or replace: To change one thing for another; to replace.
   • To manage or get by: To manage or cope, often with difficulty or using available resources.
   • To change gears in a vehicle: To move the gear lever to engage a different gear.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • There was a shift in public opinion after the debate. (A change in position/state)
  • She works the night shift at the hospital. (A scheduled work period)
  • Press the Shift key to type a capital letter. (A keyboard key)
  • The driver made a smooth shift from third to fourth gear. (A gear change)

• Verb:

  • Could you help me shift this table to the other side of the room? (To move)
  • The company decided to shift its focus to digital products. (To change/replace)
  • We'll have to shift for ourselves while our parents are away. (To manage/cope)
  • Remember to shift into a lower gear when going downhill. (To change gears)

Advanced Usage

• "Make shift": To manage with difficulty using whatever is available.
  • We had no chairs, so we had to make shift with some old crates.
• "Shift the blame/responsibility": To transfer blame or responsibility to someone else.
  • He always tries to shift the blame onto his colleagues.
• "Paradigm shift": A fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions.
  • The invention of the smartphone caused a paradigm shift in communication.

Variants and Related Words

• Shifty (adj): Appearing deceitful or untrustworthy.
  • The man's shifty eyes made me nervous.
• Shifter (n): A person or device that shifts something, especially a gear lever.
  • The car's manual shifter was very smooth.
• Shiftless (adj): Lacking ambition or resourcefulness; lazy.
  • He was criticized for his shiftless attitude towards finding a job.

Synonyms

• Move (v): To change position.
• Change (v/n): To make or become different.
• Alter (v): To change in character or composition.
• Transfer (v): To move from one place to another.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Shift through: To sort through or examine items, often to find something.
  • I had to shift through a pile of old papers to find the contract.
• Shift over/up/down: To move to make space.
  • Can you shift over a bit so I can sit down?

Related Idioms

• Shift one's ground: To change one's opinion or argument during a discussion.
  • Whenever he was proven wrong, he would simply shift his ground.
• The graveyard shift: A work shift that lasts through the late night and early morning hours.
  • Working the graveyard shift can be tough on your sleep schedule.

Noun

1. a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist
2. a woman's sleeveless undergarment
3. the key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-case letters to upper-case letters
4. a crew of workers who work for a specific period of time
5. (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
   • they built it right over a geological fault
   • he studied the faulting of the earth's crust
6. the act of moving from one place to another
   • his constant shifting disrupted the class
7. the act of changing one thing or position for another
   • his switch on abortion cost him the election
8. the time period during which you are at work
9. a qualitative change
10. an event in which something is displaced without rotation

Verb

1. lay aside, abandon, or leave for another
   • switch to a different brand of beer
   • She switched psychiatrists
   • The car changed lanes
2. change gears
   • you have to shift when you go down a steep hill
3. change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change
   • Grimm showed how the consonants shifted
4. use a shift key on a keyboard
   • She could not shift so all her letters are written in lower case
5. move abruptly
   • The ship suddenly lurched to the left
6. move sideways or in an unsteady way
   • The ship careened out of control
7. move and exchange for another
   • shift the date for our class reunion
8. change in quality
   • His tone shifted
9. move from one setting or context to another
   • shift the emphasis
   • shift one's attention
10. move very slightly
    • He shifted in his seat
11. move around
    • transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacket
12. change place or direction
    • Shift one's position
13. make a shift in or exchange of; then we switched"
    • First Joe led