SHIFT: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for SHIFT?

Need another word that means the same as “shift”? Find 150 synonyms and 30 related words for “shift” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Shift” are: change, switch, careen, tilt, wobble, transfer, dislodge, reposition, change over, lurch, pitch, agitate, budge, stir, move, carry, transport, convey, take, bring, bear, lug, cart, haul, fetch, move around, transpose, relocate, rearrange, displace, slide, slip, be displaced, alter, adjust, make adjustments to, adapt, amend, recast, vary, modify, revise, reverse, retract, do a u-turn on, row back, convert, divert, redirect, veer, back, fluctuate, turn, swing, change direction, get rid of, take out, get off, remove, lift, expunge, drink, swallow, gulp, gulp down, guzzle, slurp, attack, down, drink down, drink up, force down, get down, finish off, polish off, drain, empty, imbibe, have, partake of, ingest, consume, sup, sip, lap, switching, duty period, work shift, break, fault, faulting, fracture, geological fault, chemise, sack, displacement, shift key, shifting, transformation, transmutation, shimmy, teddy, movement, transference, conveyance, transposition, alteration, adjustment, adaptation, amendment, recasting, variation, modification, revision, reversal, retraction, sea change, u-turn, rowback, work period, stint, spell of work, stretch, group, crew, gang, team, squad, patrol, dress, gown, robe, stratagem, scheme, subterfuge, expedient, dodge, trick, ruse, wile, artifice, deception, strategy, device, plan

Shift as a Noun

Definitions of "Shift" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “shift” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• 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.
• The act of moving from one place to another.
• A loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist.
• Each of two or more recurring periods in which different groups of workers do the same jobs in relay.
• The positioning of successive rows of bricks so that their ends do not coincide.
• The time period during which you are at work.
• (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other.
• The group of people who work during a particular shift.
• A woman's straight unwaisted dress.
• An event in which something is displaced without rotation.
• 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.
• A long, loose-fitting undergarment.
• An ingenious or devious device or stratagem.
• A woman's sleeveless undergarment.
• A crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other.
• A crew of workers who work for a specific period of time.
• The key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-case letters to upper-case letters.
• A slight change in position, direction, or tendency.
• A change of position by two or more players before the ball is put into play.
• The displacement of spectral lines.
• The gear lever or gear-changing mechanism in a vehicle.
• The act of changing one thing or position for another.
• A qualitative change.

Synonyms of "Shift" as a noun (65 Words)

adaptation	A film, television drama, or stage play that has been adapted from a written work. The adaptation of teaching strategy to meet students needs.
adjustment	The process of adapting to something (such as environmental conditions. Only slight adjustments to the boat are necessary.
alteration	The act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment. Alterations had to be made.
amendment	A minor change or addition designed to improve a text, piece of legislation, etc. You can add some soil texturizing amendments to improve soil drainage.
artifice	A deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture. The style is not free from the artifices of the period.
break	The act of breaking something. Those returning to work after a career break.
change	Money given in exchange for the same sum in larger units. We need a change of government.
chemise	A woman’s loose-fitting undergarment or nightdress.
conveyance	The action of making an idea, feeling, or impression known or understandable to someone. The wife s solicitors will submit a draft conveyance or transfer to the husband s solicitors.
crew	The sport of rowing. A graffiti crew called the Syndicate.
deception	A thing that deceives. Obtaining property by deception.
device	A drawing or design. A rhetorical device.
displacement	The volume swept by a reciprocating system, as in a pump or engine. A displacement of 6 8 metres along the San Andreas fault.
dodge	The dodging of a bell in change-ringing. The grant system s widespread use as a tax dodge.
dress	Clothing of a specified kind for men or women. A dress suit.
duty period	Work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons.
expedient	A means to an end; not necessarily a principled or ethical one. The current policy is a political expedient.
fault	Responsibility for a bad situation or event. It was his fault she had died.
faulting	An imperfection in an object or machine. He studied the faulting of the earth s crust.
fracture	A diphthong substituted by fracture. It was a nasty fracture.
gang	An organized group of criminals. The machine had a gang of cutter chains on a swivelling head.
geological fault	Equipment failure attributable to some defect in a circuit (loose connection or insulation failure or short circuit etc.
gown	A dressing gown. The relations between town and gown are always sensitive.
group	(in systemic grammar) a level of structure between clause and word, broadly corresponding to phrase in other grammars. A group of boys approached.
modification	An event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another. The neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago.
move	A player’s turn to change the position of a piece in a board game. An impatient move of his hand.
movement	A campaign undertaken by a political social or artistic movement. The slow movement of his violin concerto.
patrol	A detachment used for security or reconnaissance. Break the Cubs into sixes and Scouts into patrols.
plan	A drawing or diagram made by projection on a horizontal plane especially one showing the layout of a building or one floor of a building. A personal pension plan.
recasting	Changing a particular word or phrase.
retraction	The act of pulling or holding or drawing a part back. The retraction of the landing gear.
reversal	An annulment of a judgement, sentence, or decree made by a lower court or authority. The reversal of the image in the lens.
revision	The act of rewriting something. The scheme needs drastic revision.
robe	A robe worn especially on formal or ceremonial occasions as an indication of the wearer s rank office or profession. A young man in a fez and ragged robe.
rowback	An instance of reversing an earlier decision or previously held opinion. The government was forced into yet more rowbacks on budget cuts.
ruse	A deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture. Emma tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house.
sack	The contents of a sack or the amount it can contain. The sack of Rome.
scheme	A secret or underhand plan; a plot. The whole scheme is plunged into darkness bar the light in Victor s house.
sea change	A division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land.
shift key	A crack in the earth’s crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other.
shifting	The act of moving from one place to another. His constant shifting disrupted the class.
shimmy	Shaking, especially abnormal vibration of the wheels of a motor vehicle. He could feel the shimmy in the steering wheel.
slip	A slippery smoothness. The slip is used to get rid of excess height.
spell of work	A psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation.
squad	A small squad of policemen trained to deal with a particular kind of crime. The 39 year old actress and her squad snapped some pics together after the show.
stint	Limitation of supply or effort. A collector with an eye for quality and the means to indulge it without stint.
stratagem	A plan or scheme, especially one used to outwit an opponent or achieve an end. A series of devious stratagems.
strategy	The art of planning and directing overall military operations and movements in a war or battle. Time to develop a coherent economic strategy.
stretch	A stretch limo. I got up and had a stretch.
subterfuge	Something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity. I hated all the subterfuges I hated lying to you.
switch	A flexible implement used as an instrument of punishment. His switch on abortion cost him the election.
switching	The act of changing one thing or position for another.
team	Two or more animals, especially horses, in harness together to pull a vehicle. A team of researchers.
teddy	A soft toy bear.
transference	The redirection to a substitute usually a therapist of emotions that were originally felt in childhood in a phase of analysis called transference neurosis. Education involves the transference of knowledge.
transformation	A function that changes the position or direction of the axes of a coordinate system. British society underwent a radical transformation.
transmutation	The change of one chemical element into another (as by nuclear decay or radioactive bombardment. The transmutation of the political economy of the post war years was complete.
transport	A convict who was transported to a penal colony. Air transport.
transposition	The transfer of a quantity from one side of an equation to the other along with a change of sign. A transposition of an old story into a contemporary context.
trick	A sailor’s turn at the helm, usually lasting for two or four hours. He did conjuring tricks for his daughters.
u-turn	Complete reversal of direction of travel.
variation	A solo dance or dance figure. Who is responsible for these variations in taxation.
wile	The use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them. The devious wiles of the politicians.
work period	A manifestation of energy; the transfer of energy from one physical system to another expressed as the product of a force and the distance through which it moves a body in the direction of that force.
work shift	The occupation for which you are paid.

Usage Examples of "Shift" as a noun

• The thousand shifts and devices of which Hannibal was a master.
• A shift in public opinion.
• His constant shifting disrupted the class.
• Anne was on the night shift.
• The bus was still waiting there when the day shift went home.

Shift as a Verb

Definitions of "Shift" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “shift” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Move from one setting or context to another.
• Change place or direction.
• Use a shift key on a keyboard.
• Change the position of one's body, especially because one is nervous or uncomfortable.
• Move (data) to the right or left in a register.
• Change in quality.
• Be evasive or indirect.
• Change gears.
• Change gear in a vehicle.
• Change the emphasis, direction, or focus of.
• Move from a place or rouse oneself from a state of inactivity.
• Move quickly.
• Move or cause to move from one place to another, especially over a small distance.
• Change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change.
• Sell (something.
• Make a shift in or exchange of.
• Eat or drink (something) hastily or in large amounts.
• Lay aside, abandon, or leave for another.
• Move abruptly.
• Remove (a stain.
• Move sideways or in an unsteady way.
• Move and exchange for another.
• Change in emphasis, direction, or focus.
• Move very slightly.
• Move around.

Synonyms of "Shift" as a verb (85 Words)

adapt	Adapt or conform oneself to new or different conditions. A large organization can be slow to adapt to change.
adjust	Make correspondent or conformable. A single control adjusts the water flow.
agitate	Cause to be agitated excited or roused. The thought of questioning Toby agitated him extremely.
alter	Make an alteration to. Our outward appearance alters as we get older.
amend	Make amendments to. A few things had gone wrong but these had been amended.
attack	Attack someone physically or emotionally. The terrorists did not attack again until March.
back	Cause to move backwards. Back this enterprise.
be displaced	To remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted — used only in infinitive form.
bear	(of a person) carry (someone or something. The bees form large colonies and need the thick branches of tall trees to bear the weight of their nests.
bring	Go or come after and bring or take back. Bring charges.
budge	Make or cause to make the slightest movement. Budge up boys make room for your uncle.
careen	Turn (a ship) on its side for cleaning, caulking, or repair. The ship careened out of control.
carry	Have on one’s person. Carry a cause.
cart	Transport something in a cart. They carted the piano down three flights of stairs.
change	Exchange or replace with another usually of the same kind or category. I changed her on top of the table until she got too big.
change direction	Change clothes; put on different clothes.
change over	Lay aside, abandon, or leave for another.
consume	Serve oneself to or consume regularly. This process consumes enormous amounts of energy.
convert	Complete successfully. She converted to Buddhism.
convey	Transmit or serve as the medium for transmission. No application for registration is required when the property is conveyed following a court order.
dislodge	Remove or force from a position of dwelling previously occupied. The hoofs of their horses dislodged loose stones.
displace	Cause to move, usually with force or pressure. He believes that books may be displaced by the electronic word.
divert	Send on a course or in a direction different from the planned or intended one. More of their advertising budget was diverted into promotions.
do a u-turn on	Be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity.
down	Bring down or defeat an opponent. He downed five pints of cider.
drain	Empty of liquid drain the liquid from. The rain water drains into this big vat.
drink	Drink excessive amounts of alcohol be an alcoholic. We were up drinking all night.
drink down	Propose a toast to.
drink up	Consume alcohol.
empty	Make void or empty of contents. The pub suddenly seemed to empty.
expunge	Remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line. The kind of man that could expunge an unsatisfactory incident from his memory.
fetch	Take away or remove. The land could fetch over a million pounds.
finish off	Finally be or do something.
fluctuate	Cause to fluctuate or move in a wavelike pattern. The stock market fluctuates.
force down	To cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means.
get down	Succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase.
get off	Take vengeance on or get even.
get rid of	Evoke an emotional response.
gulp	Breathe or swallow with difficulty, typically in response to strong emotion. She gulped back the tears.
gulp down	To swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught.
guzzle	Eat or drink (something) greedily. This car guzzles petrol.
haul	(of a person) pull or drag with effort or force. Haul nets.
have	Have left. Have an assistant.
imbibe	Drink (alcohol. If one does not imbibe the culture one cannot succeed.
ingest	Absorb (information. They ingest oxygen from the air.
lap	Wash or flow against. The cat lapped up the milk.
lift	Raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help. He lifted his eyes for an instant.
lug	Carry with difficulty. She began to lug her suitcase down the stairs.
lurch	Defeat by a lurch. He was lurching from one crisis to the next.
make adjustments to	Make or cause to be or to become.
modify	Make less severe or harsh or extreme. She may be prepared to modify her views.
move	Move so as to change position perform a nontranslational motion. The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell.
move around	Be in a state of action.
partake of	Consume.
pitch	Set to a certain pitch. She pitched forward into blackness.
polish off	Improve or perfect by pruning or polishing.
rearrange	Put into a new order or arrangement. Rearrange the furniture in my room.
recast	Present or organize in a different form or style. She had to recast her image to please the electorate in her home state.
redirect	Direct (something) to a new or different place or purpose. Get the post office to redirect your mail.
relocate	Move to a new place and establish one’s home or business there. Distribution staff will be relocated to Holland.
remove	Remove something concrete as by lifting pushing or taking off or remove something abstract. He was removed from his teaching position.
reposition	Change the image of (a company, product, etc.) to target a new or wider market. We are trying to reposition the brand with a premium image.
retract	Pull away from a source of disgust or fear. The tentacle retracted quickly.
reverse	Reverse the position order relation or condition of. The court reversed his conviction.
revise	Revise or reorganize especially for the purpose of updating and improving. Revise your lecture notes on the topic.
row back	Propel with oars.
sip	Drink in sips. She sipped at her tea.
slide	To pass or move unobtrusively or smoothly. She slid the keys over the table.
slip	Take off (a garment) quickly and easily. The bolt slipped into place.
slurp	Eat noisily. He slurped his soup.
stir	Mix or add by stirring. Stir in the flour and cook gently for two minutes.
sup	Take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls. She supped up her soup delightedly.
swallow	Enclose or envelop completely as if by swallowing. She swallowed hard sniffing back her tears.
swing	Change direction with a swinging motion turn. The soccer player began to swing at the referee.
switch	Beat or flick with or as if with a switch. First Joe led then we switched.
take	Make undertake or perform an action or task. Verbs which take both the infinitive and the finite clause as their object.
take out	Require (time or space.
tilt	Charge with a tilt. Tilting the camera causes convergence of upright lines.
transfer	Transfer from one place or period to another. I went to sleep on the couch before transferring to my bedroom later in the night.
transport	Transport commercially. The book transported her to new worlds.
transpose	Change the order or arrangement of. Can you transpose this fugue into G major.
turn	Cause to change or turn into something different assume new characteristics. Turn the legs of the table.
vary	Be subject to change in accordance with a variable. His moods vary depending on the weather.
veer	Turn sharply; change direction abruptly. The wind veered.
wobble	Waver between different courses of action; vacillate. His knees wobbled.

Usage Examples of "Shift" as a verb

• You'll have time for a bite if you shift.
• She could not shift so all her letters are written in lower case.
• Shift the emphasis.
• Shift the date for our class reunion.
• A team from the power company came to shift the cables away from the house.
• A lot of high-priced product you simply don't know how to shift.
• Grimm showed how the consonants shifted.
• The wind had shifted to the east.
• Shift yourself, Ruby, do something useful and get the plates.
• You have to shift when you go down a steep hill.
• The roof cracked and shifted.
• She's shifting the blame on to me.
• The balance of power shifted abruptly.
• He shifted in his seat.
• They know not how to shift and rob as the old ones do.
• She shifted down to fourth.
• Shift one's attention.
• He shifted a little in his chair.
• His tone shifted.
• Thorough cleaning is necessary to shift all cooking residues.
• The partial remainder is shifted left.

Associations of "Shift" (30 Words)

aimlessly	Without aim; in an aimless manner. We wandered aimlessly round Venice.
amble	Walk leisurely. A peaceful riverside amble.
ambulate	Walk about; not be bedridden or incapable of walking. People who make use of crutches to ambulate.
digress	Leave the main subject temporarily in speech or writing. She always digresses when telling a story.
dislodge	Change place or direction. The hoofs of their horses dislodged loose stones.
displacement	Act of removing from office or employment. Vertical displacement of the shoreline.
drift	Walk slowly, aimlessly, or casually. The shipwrecked boat drifted away from the shore.
floating	Continually changing especially as from one abode or occupation to another. Floating voters.
gad	Wander aimlessly in search of pleasure. He had heard that I was gadding about with an airline stewardess.
gallivant	Wander aimlessly in search of pleasure. She quit her job to go gallivanting around the globe.
hesitantly	In a tentative or unsure manner. He speaks hesitantly and his voice is shaky.
move	Move so as to change position perform a nontranslational motion. His deep love of music moved him to take lessons with Dr Hill.
moved	Being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion. Too moved to speak.
nomadic	Migratory. The nomadic habits of the Bedouins.
peripatetic	(of a teacher) working in more than one school or college. Peripatetics have been cut under local management of schools.
rambling	Spreading out in different directions. A rambling club.
restlessly	In a restless manner.
roam	An aimless walk. Did you get to explore the city or have a roam around Bath.
rove	Move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment. A new exhibit will electrify campuses on its national rove.
shifting	Unstable. His constant shifting disrupted the class.
spasm	(pathology) sudden constriction of a hollow organ (as a blood vessel. A spasm of coughing woke him.
twitch	Use a twitch to subdue a horse. Her lips twitched and her eyelids fluttered.
unsettled	Worried and uneasy. An unsettled lifestyle.
vagabond	Anything that resembles a vagabond in having no fixed place. Pirate ships were vagabonds of the sea.
vagrant	Relating to or living the life of a vagrant. Most birders are hoping to find the wind blown vagrants of migration.
variable	A symbol like x or y that is used in mathematical or logical expressions to represent a variable quantity. The drill has variable speed.
wander	An act or instance of wandering. Might her husband be wandering.
wandering	Having no fixed course. She followed him in his wanderings and looked after him.