shift Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an event in which something is displaced without rotation
    displacement.
  2. noun a qualitative change
    transformation; transmutation.
  3. noun the time period during which you are at work
    work shift; duty period.
  4. noun the act of changing one thing or position for another
    switch; switching.
    • his switch on abortion cost him the election
  5. noun the act of moving from one place to another
    shifting.
    • his constant shifting disrupted the class
  6. noun (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
    fault; geological fault; break; faulting; fracture.
    • they built it right over a geological fault
    • he studied the faulting of the earth's crust
  7. noun a crew of workers who work for a specific period of time
  8. noun the key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-case letters to upper-case letters
    shift key.
  9. noun a woman's sleeveless undergarment
    shimmy; teddy; slip; chemise.
  10. noun a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist
    sack; chemise.
  11. verb make a shift in or exchange of; then we switched"
    switch; change over.
    • First Joe led
  12. verb change place or direction
    reposition; dislodge.
    • Shift one's position
  13. verb move around
    transfer.
    • transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacket
  14. verb move very slightly
    budge; stir; agitate.
    • He shifted in his seat
  15. verb move from one setting or context to another
    • shift the emphasis
    • shift one's attention
  16. verb change in quality
    • His tone shifted
  17. verb move and exchange for another
    • shift the date for our class reunion
  18. verb move sideways or in an unsteady way
    tilt; wobble; careen.
    • The ship careened out of control
  19. verb move abruptly
    lurch; pitch.
    • The ship suddenly lurched to the left
  20. verb use a shift key on a keyboard
    • She could not shift so all her letters are written in lower case
  21. verb change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change
    • Grimm showed how the consonants shifted
  22. verb change gears
    • you have to shift when you go down a steep hill
  23. verb lay aside, abandon, or leave for another
    switch; change.
    • switch to a different brand of beer
    • She switched psychiatrists
    • The car changed lanes

WordNet

Shift transitive verb
Etymology
OE. shiften, schiften, to divide, change, remove. AS. sciftan to divide; akin to LG. & D. schiften to divide, distinguish, part Icel. skipta to divide, to part, to shift, to change, Dan skifte, Sw. skifta, and probably to Icel. skifa to cut into slices, as n., a slice, and to E. shive, sheave, n., shiver, n.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Shifted; present participle & verbal noun Shifting
Definitions
  1. To divide; to distribute; to apportion. Obs.
    To which God of his bounty would shift Crowns two of flowers well smelling. Chaucer.
  2. To change the place of; to move or remove from one place to another; as, to shift a burden from one shoulder to another; to shift the blame.
    Hastily he schifte him[self]. Piers Plowman.
    Pare saffron between the two St. Mary's days, Or set or go shift it that knowest the ways. Tusser.
  3. To change the position of; to alter the bearings of; to turn; as, to shift the helm or sails.
    Carrying the oar loose, [they] shift it hither and thither at pleasure. Sir W. Raleigh.
  4. To exchange for another of the same class; to remove and to put some similar thing in its place; to change; as, to shift the clothes; to shift the scenes.
    I would advise you to shift a shirt. Shak.
  5. To change the clothing of; -- used reflexively. Obs.
    As it were to ride day and night; and . . . not to have patience to shift me. Shak.
  6. To put off or out of the way by some expedient. "I shifted him away." Shak.
    Shift the scene for half an hour; Time and place are in thy power. Swift.
Shift noun
Etymology
Cf. Icel skipti. See Shift, v. t.
Definitions
  1. The act of shifting. Specifically: (a) The act of putting one thing in the place of another, or of changing the place of a thing; change; substitution.
    My going to Oxford was not merely for shift of air. Sir H. Wotton.
    (b) A turning from one thing to another; hence, an expedient tried in difficalty; often, an evasion; a trick; a fraud. "Reduced to pitiable shifts." Macaulay.
    I 'll find a thousand shifts to get away. Shak.
    Little souls on little shifts rely. Dryden.
  2. Something frequently shifted; especially, a woman's under-garment; a chemise.
  3. The change of one set of workmen for another; hence, a spell, or turn, of work; also, a set of workmen who work in turn with other sets; as, a night shift.
  4. In building, the extent, or arrangement, of the overlapping of plank, brick, stones, etc., that are placed in courses so as to break joints.
  5. (Mining) A breaking off and dislocation of a seam; a fault.
  6. (Mus.) A change of the position of the hand on the finger board, in playing the violin.

Webster 1913