What does "shift" mean?
A movement to do something, a beginning.
Shift
/ʃɪft/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A movement to do something, a beginning.
- Grammar: shift is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: duty period, work shift, a changé, aberrancy.
- Useful contrasts: wooden settle, continuity, idle time.
- Usage evidence: Freddy's been working the graveyard shift the past month, so he hasn't been able to see any of his friends who work normal hours.
How to use "shift"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "shift" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "shift" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "shift" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "shift" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "shift" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "duty period" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "shift", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A movement to do something, a beginning. countable, uncountable
- 2 A modifier key whose main function is shifting between two or more functions of any of certain other keys (usually by pressing Shift and the other button simultaneously).
- 3 the act of changing one thing or position for another wordnet
- 4 An act of shifting; a slight movement or change. countable, uncountable
"There was a shift in the political atmosphere."
- 5 the act of moving from one place to another wordnet
Show 27 more definitions
- 6 A share, a portion assigned on division. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 7 a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist wordnet
- 8 A type of women's undergarment of dress length worn under dresses or skirts, a slip or chemise. countable, historical, uncountable
"Just last week she bought a new shift at the market."
- 9 a woman's sleeveless undergarment wordnet
- 10 A simple straight-hanging, loose-fitting dress. countable, uncountable
- 11 the key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-case letters to upper-case letters wordnet
- 12 A change of workers, now specifically a set group of workers or period of working time. countable, uncountable
"We'll work three shifts a day till the job's done."
- 13 a qualitative change wordnet
- 14 The gear mechanism in a motor vehicle. US, countable, uncountable
"Does it come with a stick-shift?"
- 15 an event in which something is displaced without rotation wordnet
- 16 Alternative spelling of Shift (“a modifier button of computer keyboards”). alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable
"If you press shift-P, the preview display will change."
- 17 a crew of workers who work for a specific period of time wordnet
- 18 A control code or character used to change between different character sets. countable, uncountable
- 19 (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other wordnet
- 20 A control code or character used to change between different character sets.; An instance of the use of such a code or character. countable, uncountable
- 21 the time period during which you are at work wordnet
- 22 A bit shift. countable, uncountable
- 23 An infield shift. countable, uncountable
"Teams often use a shift against this lefty."
- 24 The act of kissing passionately. Ireland, often, uncountable, usually
"She flicked her hair out of her eyes again and looked into yours as you put your hands on her waist. Then her tongue was in your mouth and yours was in hers. You were getting the shift. Ye were shifting."
- 25 A contrivance, a device to try when other methods fail. archaic, countable, uncountable
"If I get down, and do not break my limbs, I'll find a thousand shifts to get away: As good to die and go, as die and stay."
- 26 A trick, an artifice. archaic, countable, uncountable
"And if the boy have not a woman's gift To rain a shower of commanded tears, An onion will do well for such a shift"
- 27 The extent, or arrangement, of the overlapping of plank, brick, stones, etc., that are placed in courses so as to break joints. countable, uncountable
- 28 A breaking off and dislocation of a seam; a fault. countable, uncountable
- 29 A mutation in which the DNA or RNA from two different sources (such as viruses or bacteria) combine. countable, uncountable
"This kind of change, called shift - or more memorably, 'viral sex' - tends to trigger a pandemic, because a radically different virus demands a radically different immune response, and that takes time to mobilise."
- 30 In violin-playing, any position of the left hand except that nearest the nut. countable, uncountable
- 31 A period of time in which one's consciousness resides in another reality, usually achieved through meditation or other means. countable, uncountable
- 32 be done; ruined British, countable, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To move from one place to another; to redistribute. figuratively, sometimes, transitive
"We'll have to shift these boxes to the downtown office."
- 2 make a shift in or exchange of wordnet
- 3 To change in form or character; switch. ergative, figuratively
"As a result, I shifted my approach to focus on group-generated activities and broadened the chronological time frame."
- 4 move and exchange for another wordnet
- 5 To change position; to move. figuratively, intransitive, reflexive, sometimes
"She shifted slightly in her seat."
Show 28 more definitions
- 6 lay aside, abandon, or leave for another wordnet
- 7 To change residence; to leave and live elsewhere. India, intransitive
"We are shifting to America next month."
- 8 change gears wordnet
- 9 To change (clothes, especially underwear); to change the clothes of. obsolete, transitive
"'Tis very good to wash his hands and face often, to shift his clothes, to have fair linen about him, to be decently and comely attired […]."
- 10 move from one setting or context to another wordnet
- 11 To change (someone's) clothes; sometimes specifically, to change underwear. obsolete, reflexive, transitive
"As it were, to ride day and night; and […] not to have patience to shift me."
- 12 change in quality wordnet
- 13 To change gears (in an automobile). intransitive
"I crested the hill and shifted into fifth."
- 14 change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change wordnet
- 15 To move the keys of a typewriter over in order to type capital letters or special characters.
- 16 use a shift key on a keyboard wordnet
- 17 To switch to a character entry mode for capital letters or special characters.
- 18 move abruptly wordnet
- 19 To manipulate a binary number by moving all of its digits left or right; compare rotate. transitive
"Shifting 1001 to the left yields 10010; shifting it right yields 100."
- 20 change place or direction wordnet
- 21 To remove (the first value from an array). transitive
- 22 move sideways or in an unsteady way wordnet
- 23 To dispose of, remove. transitive
"How can I shift a grass stain?"
- 24 move very slightly wordnet
- 25 To hurry; to move quickly. intransitive
"If you shift, you might make the 2:19."
- 26 move around wordnet
- 27 To engage in sexual petting with. Ireland, slang, transitive, vulgar
"The question is what she's done to Waldron, said Eric. Look at him hiding in his locker there. Come on, spit it out. Did you shift her?"
- 28 To resort to expedients for accomplishing a purpose; to cope, get by, manage, make do. archaic, intransitive
"[…] men in distress will look to themselves in the First Place, and leave their Companions to Shift as well as they can."
- 29 To practice indirect or evasive methods; to contrive. intransitive
"But this I dare auow of all those Schoole-men, that though they were exceeding wittie, yet they better teach all their Followers to shift, then to resolue, by their distinctions."
- 30 In violin-playing, to move the left hand from its original position next to the nut. intransitive
- 31 To use meditation or other means to change the reality that one's consciousness resides in. intransitive
"I finally shifted to Hogwarts last night!"
- 32 To steal or kidnap. Nigeria, slang
- 33 To crouch in game, especially if the shift key is pressed to initiate crouching.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Freddy's been working the graveyard shift the past month, so he hasn't been able to see any of his friends who work normal hours."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "shift"?
Common synonyms include: duty period, work shift, a changé, aberrancy, aberration, about face.
How do you use "shift" in a sentence?
Freddy's been working the graveyard shift the past month, so he hasn't been able to see any of his friends who work normal hours.
How do you pronounce "shift"?
Pronounced /ʃɪft/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The noun is from Middle English schyft, shyffte. Cognate with German Schicht (“layer, shift”). The verb is from Middle English schiften, from Old English sċiftan (“to divide, separate into shares; appoint, ordain; arrange, organise”), from Proto-Germanic *skiftijaną, *skiptijaną, from earlier *skipatjaną (“to organise, put in order”), from Proto-Indo-European *skeyb- (“to separate, divide, part”), from Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to cut, divide, separate, part”). Cognate with Scots schift, skift (“to shift”), West Frisian skifte, skiftsje (“to sort”), Dutch schiften (“to sort, screen, winnow, part”), German schichten (“to stack, layer”), Swedish skifta (“to shift, change, exchange, vary”), Norwegian skifte (“to shift”), Icelandic skipta (“to switch”). See ship.
Etymology 2
From shift.