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1. Dictionary

   Shift

   /SHift/

   

   verb

   • 1. move or cause to move from one place to another, especially over a small distance: "I shift the weight back to the other leg" Similar movecarrytransfertransportconveytakebringbearlugcarthaulfetchswitchmove aroundtransposerelocaterepositionrearrangedisplacemoveslideslipmove aroundbe displaced
   • ▪ change the position of one's body, especially because one is nervous or uncomfortable: "he shifted a little in his chair" Similar changealteradjustmake adjustments toadaptamendrecastvarymodifyrevisereverseretractdo a U-turn onrow backeat one's wordsdo an about-turn onOpposite keepstick to
   • ▪ change the emphasis, direction, or focus of: "she's shifting the blame onto me"
   • ▪ change in emphasis, direction, or focus: "the wind had shifted to the east" Similar veeralterchangebackvaryfluctuateturnswingchange direction
   • ▪ move (data) one or more places to the right or left in a register: "the partial remainder is shifted left"
   • ▪ press the shift key on a typewriter or computer keyboard.
   • ▪ sell (something): informal "a lot of high-priced product you simply don't know how to shift"
   • 2. change gear in a vehicle: North American "she shifted down to fourth"
   • 3. be evasive or indirect: archaic "they know not how to shift and rob as the old ones do"
   • 4. kiss and engage in sexually stimulating activity with (someone): informal Irish "she had kissed or shifted him three months earlier at a house party"

   noun

   • 1. a slight change in position, direction, or tendency: "a shift in public opinion" Similar movementmoveshiftingtransferencetransportconveyanceswitchtranspositionrelocationrepositioningrearrangementchangealterationadjustmentadaptationamendmentrecastingvariationmodificationrevisionreversalretractionsea changeU-turnrowbackabout-turn
   • ▪ the displacement of spectral lines.
   • ▪ a key on a typewriter or computer keyboard used to switch between two sets of characters or functions, principally between lower- and upper-case letters.
   • ▪ short for sound shift
   • ▪ the gearshift or gear-changing mechanism in a motor vehicle. North American
   • ▪ the positioning of successive rows of bricks so that their ends do not coincide.
   • ▪ a movement of the digits of a word in a register one or more places to left or right, equivalent to multiplying or dividing the corresponding number by a power of whatever number is the base.
   • ▪ a change of position by two or more players before the ball is put into play.
   • 2. one of two or more recurring periods in which different groups of workers do the same jobs in relay: "the night shift" Similar work periodstintspell of workstretch
   • ▪ the group of people who work during a particular shift: "the bus was still waiting there when the day shift went home" Similar groupcrewgangteamsquadpatrol
   • 3. a woman's straight unwaisted dress.
   • ▪ a long, loose-fitting undergarment. historical
   • 4. an ingenious or devious device or stratagem: archaic "the thousand shifts and devices of which Hannibal was a master" Similar stratagemschemesubterfugeexpedientdodgetrickrusewileartificedeceptionstrategydeviceplan
   • 5. a period of kissing and engaging in sexually stimulating activity with someone: informal Irish "from getting the shift to getting hitched, there is an app for everything these days"

   Word Origin Old Englishsciftan ‘arrange, divide, apportion’, of Germanic origin; related to German schichten ‘to layer, stratify’. A common Middle English sense ‘change, replace’ gave rise to shift (sense 3 of the noun) (via the notion of changing one's clothes) and shift (sense 2 of the noun) (via the concept of relays of workers).

   Derivatives

   • 1. shiftable adjective

   Scrabble Points: 11

   • S

     1

   • H

     4

   • I

     1

   • F

     4

   • T

     1

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2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › shiftShift Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › shift

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   Learn the various meanings and uses of the word shift as a verb and a noun, with synonyms, examples, and etymology. Find out how shift can refer to a change, a device, a group, a gear, and more.

3. www.dictionary.com › browse › shiftSHIFT Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › shift

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   Shift can be a verb meaning to change, transfer, or move something or someone, or a noun meaning a change, a period of work, or a type of clothing. Learn more about the origin, pronunciation, and idioms of shift with Dictionary.com.

4. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishSHIFT | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

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   Learn the meaning of shift as a verb, noun, and idiom in English. Find out how to use shift in different contexts, such as moving, changing, working, or selling.

5. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › shiftShift - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms - Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › shift

   A shift is a change in something or an adjustment in the way something is done. You can either make a shift (that's the noun), or you can just shift (that's the verb).

6. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishSHIFT definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

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   Learn the various meanings and uses of the word shift as a verb and a noun in British and American English. Find synonyms, pronunciation, examples, and related terms for shift.

7. www.thefreedictionary.com › shiftShift - definition of shift by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com › shift

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   Learn the meaning and usage of the word shift in different contexts, such as changing position, place, gear, sound, or language. Find synonyms, examples, and related terms for shift in various fields and domains.

8. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definitionshift noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage ...

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition

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   Definition of shift noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.