shift (ʃɪft
)
Definitions
verb
- to move or cause to move from one place or position to another
- (tr) to change for another or others
- to change (gear) in a motor vehicle
- (intr) (of a sound or set of sounds) to alter in a systematic way
- (intr) to provide for one's needs (esp in the phrase shift for oneself)
- (intr) to proceed by indirect or evasive methods
- to remove or be removed, esp with difficulty ⇒
no detergent can shift these stains
- (intr) slang to move quickly
- (tr) computing to move (bits held in a store location) to the left or right
noun
- the act or an instance of shifting
- a group of workers who work for a specific period
- the period of time worked by such a group
- an expedient, contrivance, or artifice
- the displacement of rocks, esp layers or seams in mining, at a geological fault
- an underskirt or dress with little shaping
Alternative Forms
ˈshifter nounWord Origin
Old English sciftan; related to Old Norse skipta to divide, Middle Low German schiften, to separateSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
manage,
plan,
scheme,
assume,
look after,
devise,
take care of,
fend,
contrive,
get along,
make do,
=
change,
switch,
shifting,
modification,
alteration,
displacement,
about-turn,
permutation,
fluctuation,
Translations
- British English:
shift
If someone's opinion, a situation, or a policy changes slightly, the change is called a shift....a shift in government policy.ʃɪft NOUN ...a shift in government policy.
- Spanish:
desplazamiento
nm
- French:
déplacement
nm
- German:
Verschiebung
nf
- Chinese: 转换 n
- Arabic: تَغْيِير n
- Portuguese: mudança nf
- Russian: перемещение nnt
- Croatian: premještanje nnt
- Czech: přesun nm
- Danish: skift nnt
- Dutch: verschuiving nf
- Finnish: siirtymä n
- Greek: βάρδια nf
- Italian: spostamento nm
- Japanese: 変化 n
- Korean: 이동 n
- Norwegian: skift nnt
- Polish: zmiana nf
- Brazilian Portuguese: mudança nf
- European Spanish:
desplazamiento
nm
- Swedish: skift nnt
- Thai: การเคลื่อนย้าย การย้าย n
- Turkish: yer değiştirme n
- Vietnamese: sự di chuyển n
- British English:
shift
If you shift something, or if it shifts, it moves slightly.He shifted from foot to foot.ʃɪft VERB He shifted from foot to foot.
- Spanish:
desplazar
v
- French:
déplacer
v
- German:
verschieben
- Chinese: 转换 v
- Arabic: يُحَوِّلُ n
- Portuguese: mudar v
- Russian: перемещать v
- Croatian: premjestiti v
- Czech: posunout v posouvat
- Danish: skifte v
- Dutch: verschuiven v
- Finnish: siirtää v
- Greek: μεταθέτω v
- Italian: spostare v
- Japanese: 移す v
- Korean: 이동하다 v
- Norwegian: forskyve v
- Polish: przesunąć się v przesuwać się
- Brazilian Portuguese: mudar v
- European Spanish:
mover
v
- Swedish: byta v
- Thai: เคลื่อนย้าย v
- Turkish: yer değiştirmek v
- Vietnamese: di chuyển v
Usage examples
Turner was ready with an excuse, like a little kid, trying to shift the blame.
, Cormorant (1994)Making food the villain is to miss the point and shift the blame.
Country Life (2004)Soon this debate will shift from whether the banks should merge to what sort of level of job losses is acceptable.
Irish Times (2002)And I may have children, which obviously means a shift away from self-indulgence.
Glasgow Herald (2001)Others suggest that we are in the midst of a huge paradigm shift , which will totally restructure the way we see reality.
, MOVING INTO ECSTASY: An Urban Mystic's Guide to Movement, Music and Meditation (2001)