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shift

v. · n.
US //ˈʃɪft// UK //ʃˈɪft// shift
  1. 1 to move or change position (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to move something from one place to another, or to change your own position.

    to move or transfer from one place or position to another; often used intransitively to describe a slight change in posture.

    Example

    He shifted his weight from one foot to the other while he waited for the bus.

    Example

    The cargo shifted dangerously during the storm, forcing the captain to adjust the ship's course to maintain stability.
  2. 2 to change an opinion or focus (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Academic

    to change your opinion, a plan, or the way you look at something.

    to undergo or cause a change in character, focus, or opinion.

    Example

    The government has shifted its focus toward improving public transport.

    Example

    Public opinion shifted significantly following the publication of the report, leading to a renewed demand for legislative reform.
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  1. 3 to change gears (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to change the gears in a car or bicycle.

    to change the gear ratio in a motor vehicle or on a bicycle.

    Example

    You should shift into a lower gear before you start climbing the steep hill.

    Example

    The driver shifted smoothly into fourth gear as the car accelerated onto the motorway.
    • gear down
    • gear up
  2. 4 work period (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the period of time you spend at work, or the group of people who work then.

    a scheduled period of work or the group of workers who perform their duties during such a period.

    Example

    My sister works the night shift at the hospital, so she sleeps during the day.

    Example

    The factory operates on three eight-hour shifts to ensure that production never ceases during the working week.
  3. 5 a change or movement (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a change in position, direction, or the way something is done.

    a change in position, direction, or tendency.

    Example

    There has been a major shift in how people use social media lately.

    Example

    The sudden shift in wind direction caught the sailors by surprise, making it difficult to keep the vessel on its intended path.
  4. 6 keyboard key (n.)
    A2 Elementary Computing

    the key on a computer keyboard that you press to type capital letters.

    a modifier key on a keyboard used to type capital letters or alternate characters.

    Example

    Hold down the shift key to type a capital letter.

    Example

    The programmer used a combination of the shift and control keys to trigger the debugging macro.

  5. 7 clothing (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    a simple, loose-fitting dress that hangs straight down.

    a straight, loose-fitting dress without a defined waistline.

    Example

    She wore a simple linen shift to the beach party.

    Example

    The historical drama featured costumes ranging from elaborate court gowns to the simple cotton shifts worn by the servants.
  6. 8 to kiss (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Dialect Slang Informal

    to kiss someone passionately.

    to engage in prolonged or passionate kissing.

    Example

    He was hoping to shift her at the disco on Friday night.

    Example

    The teenagers spent the entire evening gossiping about who had shifted whom at the end-of-term party.

    Usage

    Commonly used in Hiberno-English (Irish English).
    • make out
    • snog
Origin

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.

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