Shift - Definition

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