"shift" in the noun sense
1. shift, displacement
an event in which something is displaced without rotation
2. transformation, transmutation, shift
a qualitative change
3. shift, work shift, duty period
the time period during which you are at work
4. switch, switching, shift
the act of changing one thing or position for another
"his switch on abortion cost him the election"
5. shift, shifting
the act of moving from one place to another
"his constant shifting disrupted the class"
6. fault, faulting, geological fault, shift, fracture, break
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. shift
a crew of workers who work for a specific period of time
8. shift key, shift
the key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-case letters to upper-case letters
9. chemise, shimmy, shift, slip, teddy
a woman's sleeveless undergarment
10. chemise, sack, shift
a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist
"shift" in the verb sense
1. switch, change over, shift
make a shift in or exchange of then we switched"
"First Joe led
2. shift, dislodge, reposition
change place or direction
"Shift one's position"
3. transfer, shift
move around
"transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacket"
4. stir, shift, budge, agitate
move very slightly
"He shifted in his seat"
5. shift
move from one setting or context to another
"shift the emphasis"
"shift one's attention"
6. shift
change in quality
"His tone shifted"
7. shift
move and exchange for another
"shift the date for our class reunion"
8. careen, wobble, shift, tilt
move sideways or in an unsteady way
"The ship careened out of control"
9. lurch, pitch, shift
move abruptly
"The ship suddenly lurched to the left"
10. shift
use a shift key on a keyboard
"She could not shift so all her letters are written in lower case"
11. shift
change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change
"Grimm showed how the consonants shifted"
12. shift
change gears
"you have to shift when you go down a steep hill"
13. switch, shift, change
lay aside, abandon, or leave for another
"switch to a different brand of beer"
"She switched psychiatrists"
"The car changed lanes"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
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