shift Synonyms & Antonyms

Shift in a Sentence

There was a shift in the political atmosphere.

Just last week she bought a new shift at the market.

We'll work three shifts a day till the job's done.

Does it come with a stick-shift?

If you press shift-P, the preview display will change.

Teams often use a shift against this lefty.

We'll have to shift these boxes to the downtown office.

She shifted slightly in her seat.

His political stance shifted daily.

We were hoping he could shift himself to take care of the problem, but he couldn't be shifted.

We are shifting to America next month.

I crested the hill and shifted into fifth.

Shifting 1001 to the left yields 10010; shifting it right yields 100.

How can I shift a grass stain?

If you shift, you might make the 2:19.

You need to learn to shift for yourself.

I finally shifted to Hogwarts last night!

Teams often use the shift against this lefty.

clouds shifting shape

efforts to shift public opinion

She shifted her position.

He shifted his bag to the other shoulder.

They shifted their gaze to the sky.

… Unto Southampton do we shift our scene.

She shifted in her seat.

investors shift away from stocks

The wind shifted.

shifted into third

had to shift for themselves

… prompts him to shift and dissimulate.

Public opinion has shifted in recent months.

… was put to hard shifts for a living.

a shift in the wind

The second shift clocked in.

works the night shift

he shifted the vase closer to the wall so that it wouldn't get knocked over

she shifted uncomfortably in her seat throughout the interview

she watched the aurora in fascination as its colors shifted from green to blue

my brother and I shifted seats just before takeoff so that he could sit by the window

left the others to shift for themselves

desperate shifts to stave off financial disaster

made a small shift to the left to make more room on the bench

clouds shifting shape / efforts to shift public opinion

She shifted her position. / He shifted his bag to the other shoulder. / They shifted their gaze to the sky.

She shifted in her seat. / investors shift away from stocks

Word Forms & Grammar

shift·ed

shift·ing

shifts

shift·able adjective

shift

shiftable

shifted

shifting

shift gears

shift (countable and uncountable, plural shifts)

shift (third-person singular simple present shifts, present participle shifting, simple past and past participle shifted)

Words That Rhyme With Shift

Origin of Shift

Origin 1: Middle English, from Old English sciftan to divide, arrange; akin to Old Norse skipa to arrange, assign

Origin 2: The verb is from Middle English schiften, from Old English sċiftan (“to divide, separate into shares; appoint, ordain; arrange, organise”), from Proto-West Germanic *skiftijan, from Proto-Germanic *skiftijaną, *skiptijaną, from earlier *skipatjaną (“to organise, put in order”), from Proto-Indo-European *skeyb- (“to separate, divide, part”), from Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to cut, divide, separate, part”). Cognate with Scots schift, skift (“to shift”), West Frisian skifte, skiftsje (“to sort”), Dutch schiften (“to sort, screen, winnow, part”), Low German schichten (“to stack, layer”), German schichten (“to stack, layer”), Swedish skifta (“to shift, change, exchange, vary”), Norwegian skifte (“to shift”), Icelandic skipta (“to switch”). See ship.

Origin 3: The noun is from Middle English schyft, shyffte. Cognate with Dutch schift (“split, fissure”), German Schicht (“layer, shift”).

First Known Use

14th centuryt

1523