shift

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) A movement to do something, a beginning.
2. (countable, uncountable) An act of shifting; a slight movement or change.
3. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) A share, a portion assigned on division.
4. (countable, historical, uncountable) A type of women's undergarment of dress length worn under dresses or skirts, a slip or chemise.
5. (countable, uncountable) A simple straight-hanging, loose-fitting dress.
6. (countable, uncountable) A change of workers, now specifically a set group of workers or period of working time.
7. (US, countable, uncountable) The gear mechanism in a motor vehicle.
8. (alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable) Alternative spelling of Shift (“a modifier button of computer keyboards”).
9. (countable, uncountable) A control code or character used to change between different character sets.
10. (countable, uncountable) A control code or character used to change between different character sets.
11. (countable, uncountable) A bit shift.
12. (countable, uncountable) An infield shift.
13. (Ireland, often, uncountable, usually) The act of kissing passionately.
14. (archaic, countable, uncountable) A contrivance, a device to try when other methods fail.
15. (archaic, countable, uncountable) A trick, an artifice.
16. (countable, uncountable) The extent, or arrangement, of the overlapping of plank, brick, stones, etc., that are placed in courses so as to break joints.
17. (countable, uncountable) A breaking off and dislocation of a seam; a fault.
18. (countable, uncountable) A mutation in which the DNA or RNA from two different sources (such as viruses or bacteria) combine.
19. (countable, uncountable) In violin-playing, any position of the left hand except that nearest the nut.
20. (countable, uncountable) A period of time in which one's consciousness resides in another reality, usually achieved through meditation or other means.
21. (British, countable, slang, uncountable) be done; ruined

Verb

1. (figuratively, sometimes, transitive) To move from one place to another; to redistribute.
2. (ergative, figuratively) To change in form or character; switch.
3. (figuratively, intransitive, reflexive, sometimes) To change position; to move.
4. (India, intransitive) To change residence; to leave and live elsewhere.
5. (obsolete, transitive) To change (clothes, especially underwear); to change the clothes of.
6. (obsolete, reflexive, transitive) To change (someone's) clothes; sometimes specifically, to change underwear.
7. (intransitive) To change gears (in an automobile).
8. To move the keys of a typewriter over in order to type capital letters or special characters.
9. To switch to a character entry mode for capital letters or special characters.
10. (transitive) To manipulate a binary number by moving all of its digits left or right; compare rotate.
11. (transitive) To remove (the first value from an array).
12. (transitive) To dispose of, remove.
13. (intransitive) To hurry; to move quickly.
14. (Ireland, slang, transitive, vulgar) To engage in sexual petting with.
15. (archaic, intransitive) To resort to expedients for accomplishing a purpose; to cope, get by, manage, make do.
16. (intransitive) To practice indirect or evasive methods; to contrive.
17. (intransitive) In violin-playing, to move the left hand from its original position next to the nut.
18. (intransitive) To use meditation or other means to change the reality that one's consciousness resides in.
19. (Nigeria, slang) To steal or kidnap.
20. To crouch in game, especially if the shift key is pressed to initiate crouching.

Synonyms

move

change

transfer

turn

switch

remove

budge

alter

displace

stir

displacement

alteration

exchange

relocate

transition

movement

substitute

unit

team

force

squad

shuffle

shifting

vary

transference

convert

detachment

transform

slip

move aside

chemise

alternation

fluctuate

conversion

replace

transpose

duty

band

transformation

transmutation

variation

dislodge

dislocate

migrate

amend

modification

bunch

go

group

shake

🫨

Translations

spostare

déplacer

cambiar

remuer

changer

turno

turno

Schicht

verschieben

mudar

bouger

turno

cambio

wechseln

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ʃɪft/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: schiften

Inherited from Old English: sċiftan

Cognate with Scots: schift

Cognate with Western Frisian: skifte

Cognate with Dutch: schiften

Cognate with German: schichten

Cognate with Swedish: skifta

Cognate with Norwegian: skifte

Cognate with Icelandic: skipta

In summary

The noun is from Middle English schyft, shyffte. Cognate with German Schicht (“layer, shift”).
The verb is from Middle English schiften, from Old English sċiftan (“to divide, separate into shares; appoint, ordain; arrange, organise”), 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”), German schichten (“to stack, layer”), Swedish skifta (“to shift, change, exchange, vary”), Norwegian skifte (“to shift”), Icelandic skipta (“to switch”). See ship.