Definition Synonyms
Definition of shifting - Reverso English Dictionary
Adjective
1.
dynamiccontinuously changing or moving
- The shifting sands made walking difficult.
2.
stabilityunstable or not fixed
- The shifting ground caused the building to tilt.
Noun
1.
relocationthe act of moving from one place to another
- The shifting of the office was completed by noon.
2.
mindset driftchange in ideas, feelings, or opinions
- Her shifting views on the topic became evident over time..
3.
linguisticsTECH. linguistic phenomenon of changing positionsTECH.
- The sentence structure involved shifting for emphasis.
Expressions with shifting
💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
loose sand that is easily moved by wind or water
The desert was full of shifting sands.
the unpredictable changes in political situations
Navigating the shifting sands of politics requires adaptability.
changing physical or metaphorical environments
The company had to adapt to shifting landscapes in the tech industry.
act of transferring responsibility to others
Blame shifting is common in group projects when things go wrong.
tool with adjustable jaws for gripping
He used a shifting spanner to tighten the bolt.
recording broadcasts to watch or listen later
Time shifting allows viewers to watch shows at their convenience.
practice of moving company income to places with lower taxes
Governments introduced new rules to limit aggressive profit shifting by multinational firms.
process of altering the phase relationship of waves or repeating signals
Phase shifting is used in audio engineering to create chorus and flanger effects.
farming method where land is used temporarily then left to regenerate
Shifting cultivation involves clearing forest land for temporary crop production..
Origin of shifting
Old English, sciftan (to divide) + -ing (suffix)
Terms with shifting included in their meaning
💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
blame shifting
shift blame to someone else for a problem
shifting
change positions or locations frequently
responsibility
act of shifting responsibility to someone else
politics
shifting towards more socialist political views
sales strategy
guided by customer needs and shifting demand
motion
shifting or agitated, especially in weather or ocean conditions
resource shifting
use resources from one area to cover another without net gain
transportation
bicycle with only one gear and no gear shifting
trend change
momentum is shifting
alternation
shifting between two positions or states
automobile
device for manual gear shifting in cars
politics
shifting towards conservative views
shifting forces
forces that bring about change
opinion
shifting in opinion or position
gaze shift
shifting of gaze from one point to another
action
perform a dance move swinging arms rapidly while shifting hips
problem shifting
situation where solving a problem causes another elsewhere
tectonic activity
slow shifting that bends or reshapes Earth’s outer rock layer
photography
technique shifting focus between subjects in a scene
wind
shifting and variable in direction
role shift
assisted in shifting roles or responsibilities effectively
eyes
constantly moving or shifting focus
machinery
lever for manual shifting in machinery
power shift
indicate social or political power is shifting to new groups
Examples of shifting in a sentence
He navigated through the shifting crowd with ease. The shifting sands made walking difficult. Shifting alliances altered the political landscape. The shifting of residents caused a lot of confusion. Shifting of the library's location took several weeks. The shifting in public opinion was noticeable.
There was a shifting in her attitude after the incident. Shifting can alter the meaning in translation. The poem's shifting added depth to its interpretation.
View all translations of shifting
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:changeant, transfert, ...
- German:wechselnd, Umzug, ...
- Italian:mutevoli, trasloco, ...
- Spanish:cambiante, traslado, ...
- Portuguese:movediço, mudança, ...
- Chinese:流动的, 搬迁, ...
- Japanese:移り変わる, 移転, ...
- Arabic:مُتَقَلِّب, اِنْتِقَال, ...
- Hebrew:מִשְׁתַּנֶּה, הַעֲבָרָה, ...
- Russian:перемещающийся, переезд, ...
- Ukrainian:змінний, переміщення, ...
- Hindi:बदलती, स्थानांतरण, ...
Definition of shift - Reverso English Dictionary
Verb
1.
movementtr./intr. move from one place to anothertr./intr.
- She shifted the books to the other shelf.
2.
automobiletr./intr. US change gears in a vehicletr./intr. US
- He shifted into third gear as he accelerated.
3.
changetr. alter an opinion or policytr.
- The company shifted its policy on remote work.
4.
businesstr. UK sell goods that are difficult to selltr. UK
- The store managed to shift all the old stock.
5.
typingtr. TECH. press the keyboard modifier key to make letters uppercasetr. TECH.
- Press shift to type capital letters.
6.
technologytr. TECH. move a binary number's digits left or righttr. TECH.
- The program shifted the bits to the right.
Noun
1.
job scheduleset period of working time
- She works the night shift at the hospital.
2.
movementslight movement or change
- There was a shift in the wind direction.
3.
duty crewgroup of workers working for a specific period
- The morning shift is responsible for opening the store.
4.
policychange in policy or attitude
- A significant shift in public opinion was noted..
5.
clothingtype of women's dress
- She wore a floral shift to the party..
6.
geologyTECH. displacement of rocks at a geological faultTECH.
- The earthquake caused a shift in the fault line.
7.
technologyTECH. control code or character in computingTECH.
- The program uses a shift to change character sets.
8.
biologyTECH. mutation combining DNA or RNA from different sourcesTECH.
- The virus underwent a genetic shift.
Images of shift

type of women's dress
Expressions with shift
💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
change gears in a vehicle to adjust speed
He had to shift gear to climb the hill.
change the gear in a vehicle
He had to shift gears to climb the hill.
move slightly to one side
Please shift over so I can sit down.
work shift during the late night hours
He started working the graveyard shift at the hospital last month..
change the gear in a vehicle to start moving
She shifted into gear and drove away.
make someone else responsible for a mistake
He tried to shift the blame onto his coworker.
increase in intensity or level
The team needs to shift up their efforts to win the championship.
lever used to change gears in a vehicle
He reached for the stick shift to change gears.
increase effort or speed in an activity
The team needs to shift into higher gear to win.
change opinion contradicting previous beliefs
During the debate, she shifted her ground completely.
make a significant change in a situation
The new policy will shift the dial on climate change.
work hard or make a significant effort
She really put a shift in to finish the project.
begin a more intense or active phase
The campaign shifted into high gear as election day neared.
start working much faster or more effectively
The team shifted into top gear to finish the project.
change the criteria or rules unfairly
Every time we get close to success, they shift the goalposts.
work shift during the night
He always works the cemetery shift at the hospital.
major, sudden change in situation or perspective
The invention of the internet was a seismic shift in global communication..
change one's opinion or position
She tends to shift ground during debates.
change frequently and unpredictably
His opinions shift like sand, making him hard to trust.
make small, pointless changes without fixing the main problem
They just shift the deckchairs on the Titanic instead of solving issues.
work period from morning to afternoon or workers assigned to it
She works the day shift at the hospital.
work period from late afternoon to midnight
She prefers the evening shift at the hospital.
work period during night hours
She prefers the night shift for its quiet.
change position or direction
The wind started to shift around, making it hard to sail.
Origin of shift
Old English, sciftan (arrange)
Examples of shift in a sentence
They shifted the meeting to a new location. She learned to shift smoothly during her driving lessons. The driver shifted quickly to avoid stalling. They shifted their stance on environmental issues. The politician shifted his opinion after the debate. The dealer shifted the outdated phones at a discount.
Online ads helped us shift the last few units. To insert symbols, you need to shift and press the number keys. Shift the key to access the upper character on the keyboard. The algorithm shifted the digits left. Engineers shifted the binary code efficiently. He swapped his morning shift for an evening one. The factory runs three shifts daily. A shift in public opinion was noticeable. The shift in temperature was sudden and unexpected. The night shift handles the late deliveries. A new shift starts every eight hours. The company announced a shift in its strategy. There was a shift in the political landscape. She bought a new shift for summer. The boutique sells elegant shifts. Scientists measured the shift after the seismic event. The shift altered the landscape significantly. A shift is required to execute the command. The software update included a new shift function. A shift in the virus's DNA was detected. Scientists are studying the shift in the pathogen's RNA.
View all translations of shift
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:déplacer, service, ...
- German:verlagern, Schicht, ...
- Italian:spostare, turno, ...
- Spanish:mover, turno, ...
- Portuguese:mover, turno, ...
- Chinese:搬, 班次, ...
- Japanese:移す, シフト, ...
- Arabic:نَقَلَ, وَرْدِيَّة, ...
- Hebrew:לְהַעֲבִיר, מִשְׁמֶרֶת, ...
- Russian:перемещать, смена, ...
- Ukrainian:переміщувати, зміна, ...
- Hindi:सरकाना, पारी, ...
icon to discover related terms: analogies, antonyms, common collocates, words with same roots, umbrella terms… Try with happening or hunch.
icon next to the first example to see two additional options and learn to use new vocabulary naturally.
icon to save words you want to revisit. You can also save a specific meaning by clicking on the