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shift

/ˈʃɪft/noun, verb1 syllable

Shift means: lay aside, abandon, or leave for another.

Synonyms for shift50

noun, as in (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other

fault, faulting, geological fault, fracture, break

noun, as in a woman's sleeveless undergarment

chemise, shimmy, slip, teddy

noun, as in a qualitative change

transformation, transmutation

noun, as in the time period during which you are at work

work shift, duty period

noun, as in the act of changing one thing or position for another

noun, as in a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist

chemise, sack

noun, as in an event in which something is displaced without rotation

noun, as in the act of moving from one place to another

noun, as in the key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-case letters to upper-case letters

shift key

verb, as in lay aside, abandon, or leave for another

verb, as in move very slightly

stir, budge, agitate

verb, as in move sideways or in an unsteady way

careen, wobble, tilt

verb, as in make a shift in or exchange of

switch, change over

verb, as in change place or direction

dislodge, reposition

verb, as in move abruptly

lurch, pitch

verb, as in move around

also used for shift

workshift, turn of duty, relocate, interchange, move, rearrange, redistribute, swap, counterchange, replace, substitute, get rid of, remove, junk, 86

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does shift mean?23

verb

1

lay aside, abandon, or leave for another“switch to a different brand of beer”

2

move very slightly“He shifted in his seat”

3

move sideways or in an unsteady way“The ship careened out of control”

4

make a shift in or exchange of“First Joe led; then we switched”

5

change place or direction“Shift one's position”

6

move abruptly“The ship suddenly lurched to the left”

7

move around“transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacket”

8

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

9

change in quality“His tone shifted”

10

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

11

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

12

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

13

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

noun

1

(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”

2

a woman's sleeveless undergarment

3

a qualitative change

4

the time period during which you are at work

5

the act of changing one thing or position for another“his switch on abortion cost him the election”

6

a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist

7

an event in which something is displaced without rotation

8

the act of moving from one place to another“his constant shifting disrupted the class”

9

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

10

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

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with shift?8

two syllables

adrift
Show 40 near rhymes

Shift in a sentence

  • His bipolar means that, unmedicated, his moods shift frequently.casaniere
  • The performer, revelling in the limelight, did not notice the audience's shift in attention.SurreptitiousLemons
  • I watch the sky shift colors at dusk, a fleeting masterpiece.Igider
  • When you get on the highway, shift into fifth gear.enteka
  • The woman works double shifts as a nurse, and for a worthless salary.DJ_Saidez
  • My teacher, exasperated, now shifts his eyes upon me.end
  • Surpassing labour intensive, capital intensive, the age has shifted greatly to knowledge intensive.unknown
  • The wind shifted, changing the direction of the ship.Amastan

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of shift

as a noun

plural
shifts

as a verb

past tense
shifted
present participle
shifting
third-person singular
shifts
past participle
shifted