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.
Source: tatoeba (34069)
Shift
/ʃɪft/
Synonyms for "shift" (821 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (10)
Noun(3 words)
duty periodwork shifta changé
Strong matches (15)
Noun(3 words)
Related words (25)
ameliorateameliorationamotionanchor watchanswerapostasyapportionaround the bushartartful dodgeartificeascendassimilateassimilate toassimilationassumptionbackback and fillback upbag of tricks
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: duty period, work shift, a changé, aberrancy, aberration.
- Sentence evidence is available for shift, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "shift".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "shift"
Keep "shift" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "shift" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "shift", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "shift" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
38 entriesShowing 16 of 38 words.
More specific
13 entriesafternoon shiftalterationday shiftemphasize differentlygraveyard shiftnight shiftrealignmentrearrangerearrangementredirect attentionreframe discussionrelocatereposition
Collocations
11 entriesday shiftgear shiftgraveyard shiftnight shiftopinion shiftpolicy shiftshift focusshift gearsshift positionshift scheduletemporary shift
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
8 entriessimilar
4 entriesTranslations
28 translations across 12 languages.
Bulgarian
2 entries- променям verb (to change, swap)
- сменям verb (to change, swap)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 转变 verb (to change, swap)
Finnish
1 entries- muuttaa verb (to change, swap)
French
3 entries- permuter verb (to change, swap)
- switcher verb (to change, swap)
- échanger verb (to change, swap)
Indonesian
1 entries- berubah verb (to change, swap)
Italian
3 entries- barattare verb (to change, swap)
- permutare verb (to change, swap)
- scambiare verb (to change, swap)
Portuguese
2 entries- mudar verb (to change, swap)
- trocar verb (to change, swap)
Russian
4 entries- измени́ть verb (to change, swap)
- изменя́ть verb (to change, swap)
- меня́ть verb (to change, swap)
- поменя́ть verb (to change, swap)
Spanish
3 entries- cambiar verb (to change, swap)
- conmutar verb (to change, swap)
- transmudar verb (to change, swap)
Swedish
4 entries- byta verb (to change, swap)
- skifta verb (to change, swap)
- växla verb (to change, swap)
- ändra verb (to change, swap)
Telugu
1 entries- మార్చు verb (to change, swap)
Vietnamese
3 entries- thay verb (to change, swap)
- thay đổi verb (to change, swap)
- đổi verb (to change, swap)
Sample sentences
53 total sentences available.
Forming an information infrastructure, the real impact of the information highway is an expectation of new economic development due to a shift from a tangible hardware-industry to brain-oriented software-industry.
Source: tatoeba (73631)
When I speak to a Westerner, I have to shift mental gears, so to speak.
Source: tatoeba (271959)
In order to keep our feet warm we had to shift from one foot to another and keep moving.
Source: tatoeba (274486)
Showing 4 of 53 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "shift"?
Closest matches include duty period, work shift, a changé, aberrancy, aberration.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "shift"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.