26984 words

shift

21 definitions • 35 examples
1
to (cause something or someone to) move or change from one position or direction to another, especially slightly:

Examples:

shift from something to something She shifted (her weight) uneasily from one foot to the other.
shift (to) The wind is expected to shift (to the east) tomorrow.
2
(of an idea, opinion, etc.) to change:

Examples:

Society's attitudes towards women have shifted enormously over the last century.
3
to move the gears of a vehicle into different positions in order to make it go faster or slower:

Examples:

shift gears In cars that are automatics, you don't have to bother with shifting gears.
4
to leave your home in order to live in a new one; move house:

Examples:

I've just shifted house for the third time in three years.
5
to get rid of something unwanted, or to sell something:

Examples:

Modern detergents will shift most stains.
The people at the toy shop expect to shift a lot of stock in the run-up to Christmas.
6
a group of workers who do a job for a period of time during the day or night, or the period of time itself:

Examples:

night/day shift As the night shift leave/leaves, the day shift arrive/arrives.
Are you on the night shift or the day shift? (= Do you work during the night period or the day period?)
7
a change in position or direction:

Examples:

shift in a shift in the wind/temperature
The shift in the balance of power in the region has had far-reaching consequences.
There has been a dramatic shift in public opinion towards peaceful negotiations.
8
a simple dress that hangs loosely from the shoulders
9
If you shift yourself when you have a job to do, you hurry to do the job as quickly as possible:

Examples:

Come on, there's work to be done - shift yourself.
10
to change direction or move from one person, position, or place to another:

Examples:

[ I ] The wind shifted to the east.
[ T ] She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
[ T ] He tried to shift the blame onto his sister.
11
If you shift your emphasis or attitude, you change it:

Examples:

[ T ] Our attention has shifted from baseball to the election.
12
When you shift the gears of a vehicle, you move them into different positions to change the speed of the vehicle.
13
the period that a person is scheduled to work, or a group of workers who work during the same period of time:

Examples:

I’m working the day shift this month.
The night shift is finished at 7 a.m.
14
a change in position or direction:

Examples:

There’s been a substantial shift in doctors’ methods.
15
to move something to a different place or position:

Examples:

shift sth to sth They shifted the money to another account.
shift sth out of sth Rising costs forced them to shift manufacturing work out of Europe.
16
to change an opinion, idea, etc.:

Examples:

shift (sth) away from sth They have shifted the emphasis of the business away from traditional manufacturing.
shift (sth) towards sth The company has shifted towards a more flexible marketing mix.
HR have shifted their position on overtime working and this will no longer be encouraged.
17
to manage to sell goods:

Examples:

At that time, Sony had shifted 30 million Playstation3 consoles since launch.
The sales projections were over-optimistic and left them with $100 million of stock they couldn't shift.
18
an agreed period of time during the day or night when particular employees work, in a factory, hospital, etc.:

Examples:

He worked an 8 hour shift at the hospital.
begin/end your shift They begin their shift at 4pm.
19
the group of workers who work at a particular time:

Examples:

the day/night/late shift We work until 8am, when the day shift takes over.
20
a movement or change in something:

Examples:

a shift in sth There's been a major shift in strategy.
a shift away from/towards sth The shift towards specialisation favours smaller firms.
21
on a computer keyboard, a key that changes the letter, number, or symbol that would normally appear when you press another key at the same time:

Examples:

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