Meaning & Definition of Shift in English

1. An event in which something is displaced without rotation

2. A qualitative change

3. The time period during which you are at work

4. The act of changing one thing or position for another

• "His switch on abortion cost him the election"

5. The act of moving from one place to another

• "His constant shifting disrupted the class"

6. (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"

7. A crew of workers who work for a specific period of time

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

9. A woman's sleeveless undergarment

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

1. Make a shift in or exchange of

• "First joe led

• Then we switched"

2. Change place or direction

• "Shift one's position"

3. Move around

• "Transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacket"

4. Move very slightly

• "He shifted in his seat"

5. Move from one setting or context to another

• "Shift the emphasis"

• "Shift one's attention"

6. Change in quality

• "His tone shifted"

7. Move and exchange for another

• "Shift the date for our class reunion"

8. Move sideways or in an unsteady way

• "The ship careened out of control"

9. Move abruptly

• "The ship suddenly lurched to the left"

10. Use a shift key on a keyboard

• "She could not shift so all her letters are written in lower case"

11. Change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change

• "Grimm showed how the consonants shifted"

12. Change gears

• "You have to shift when you go down a steep hill"

13. Lay aside, abandon, or leave for another

• "Switch to a different brand of beer"

• "She switched psychiatrists"

• "The car changed lanes"