shift

(shĭft)

v., shift·ed, shift·ing, shifts.

v.tr.

1. To exchange (one thing) for another of the same class: shifted assignments among the students.
2. To move or transfer from one place or position to another.
3. To alter (position or place).
4. To change (gears), as in an automobile.
5. Linguistics. To alter phonetically as part of a systematic historical change.

v.intr.

1. To change position, direction, place, or form.
2. 1. To provide for one's own needs; get along: "See me safe up: for my coming down, I can shift for myself" (Thomas More).
   2. To get along by tricky or evasive means.
3. To change gears, as when driving an automobile.
4. Linguistics. To be altered as part of a systematic historical change. Used of speech sounds.
5. To use a shift key.

n.

1. A change from one person or configuration to another; a substitution.
2. 1. A group of workers that relieve another on a regular schedule.
   2. The working period of such a group: worked the night shift.
3. 1. A means to an end; an expedient.
   2. A stratagem; a trick.
4. A change in direction: a shift in the wind.
5. A change in attitude, judgment, or emphasis.
6. A change in position, as:
   1. Music. A change of the hand position in playing the violin or a similar instrument.
   2. Football. A rearrangement of players from one formation to another just prior to the snap of the ball.
   3. Baseball. A rearrangement of one or more fielders for improved defense against a particular hitter.
   4. Geology. See fault (sense 3).
   5. Computer Science. Movement of characters in a register to the left or right, as of the bits in a byte.
7. An act or instance of using a shift key.
8. Physics. A change in wavelength, causing a movement of a spectral band or line.
9. Linguistics.
   1. A systematic change of the phonetic or phonemic structure of a language.
   2. Functional shift.
10. 1. A loosely fitting dress that hangs straight from the shoulder; a chemise.
    2. A woman's undergarment; a slip or chemise.

[Middle English shiften, from Old English sciftan, to arrange, divide.]

shifter shift'er n.

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Time at which an employee is assigned to work. Most work shifts are eight hours long plus a 45-minute to l-hour lunch period.

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verb

1. To give up in return for something else: change, commute, exchange, interchange, substitute, switch, trade. Informal swap. See change/persist, substitute.
2. To leave or discard for another: change, switch. See change/persist, substitute.
3. To alter the settled state or position of: dislocate, displace, disturb, move, shake. See move/halt.
4. To go or cause to go from one place to another: maneuver, move, remove, transfer. See move/halt.
5. To change the direction or course of: avert, deflect, deviate, divert, pivot, swing, turn, veer. See change/persist.
6. To progress or perform adequately, especially in difficult circumstances: do, fare, fend, get along, get by, manage, muddle through. Informal make out. Idioms: make do, make shift. See thrive/fail/exist.

noun

1. The act of exchanging or substituting: change, commutation, exchange, interchange, substitution, switch, trade, transposition. Informal swap. See change/persist, substitute.
2. A limited, often assigned period of activity, duty, or opportunity: bout, go, hitch, inning (often used in plural), spell³, stint, stretch, time, tour, trick, turn, watch. See time.
3. Something used temporarily or reluctantly when other means are not available: expediency, expedient, makeshift, stopgap. See help/harm/harmless, substitute.
4. An often sudden change or departure, as in a trend: tack, turn, twist. See change/persist.
5. A change in normal place or position: dislocation, displacement, disturbance, move, movement, rearrangement. See move/halt.
6. The process or result of changing from one appearance, state, or phase to another: change, changeover, conversion, metamorphosis, mutation, transfiguration, transformation, translation, transmogrification, transmutation, transubstantiation. See change/persist.
7. The process or an instance of passing from one form, state, or stage to another: change, passage, transit, transition. See change/persist.

n

Definition: switch, fluctuation
Antonyms: deactivation, maintenance, stagnation

v

Definition: switch, fluctuate
Antonyms: deactivate, remain, stagnate

In string playing, the movement of the left hand from one position to another on the fingerboard.

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IN BRIEF: n. - The act of changing one thing or position for another; The act of moving from one place to another.

What a surprise to find you could shift the contents of your head like rearranging furniture in a room. — Lisa Alther

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verb
verb

1: trans. To consume (food or drink) hastily or in bulk. (1896 —) .
W. Russell Although his speech is not slurred, we should recognize the voice of a man who shifts a lot of booze (1981).

2: intr. To move quickly, hurry. (1922 —) .
M. Kenyon You'll have time for a bite at Murphy's if you shift (1970).

3: trans. To sell. (1976 —) .
Church Times He was also hopeful that some £40,000-worth of unsold books would eventually be shifted (1990).

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A change or deviation.

• antigenic s. — see antigenic shift.
• chloride s. — see chloride shift.
• s. to the left — an alteration in the distribution of leukocytes in the peripheral blood in which there is an increase in the numbers of immature neutrophils, primarily band forms but metamyelocytes or more immature cells may also be present; usually in response to an infection.

  Canine blood smear showing a shift to the left with a segmented neutrophil (left) with toxic vacuolation and a metamyelocyte (right) with two Döhle bodies. By permission from Willard MD, Tvedten H, Small Animal Clinical Diagnosis by Laboratory Methods, Saunders, 2003

• s. red cell — see macroreticulocyte.
• s. to the right — an alteration in the distribution of leukocytes in the peripheral blood in which there is an increased number of mature neutrophils but no immature cells are present.

For a list of words related to shift, see:

• Business and Practice of Medicine - shift: work hours, esp. at hospital or clinic
• Working Parts - shift: driver-operated lever that controls transmission
• Dresses and Skirts - shift: woman’s loose-fitting dress that hangs straight and has no waistline
• Labor - shift: regularly scheduled hours of work
• Baseball - shift: a change in fielding positioning whereby certain fielders will move (slightly) to other parts of the field based on the hitting tendencies of a particular batter
• Football
• Directions - shift: change place or position

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See words rhyming with "shifter."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Shift.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - skifte, forskyde, overføre, bytte om
v. intr. - flytte, forskyde sig, skifte tøj, klæde sig om
n. - forskydning, forandring, skiftehold, skift, skiftetøj, chemise, udvej, hjælpemiddel

idioms:

• shift click    klikke samtidig med at skiftenøglen holdes nede
• shift down    skifte til et lavere gear
• shift for oneself    klare sig selv
• shift gears    skifte gear
• shift key    skiftenøgle, skiftetast
• shift off    udsætte, liste uden om
• shift one's ground    ændre taktik, sadle om
• shift up    skifte til et højere gear

Nederlands (Dutch)
verschuiven, verwisselen, afwentelen, zich verplaatsen, schakelen, verschuiving, ploeg, redmiddel

Français (French)
v. tr. - déplacer, changer (qch) de place, bouger, remuer, (Théât) changer (un décor), faire repartir, enlever, affecter, muter, (fig) rejeter (la responsabilité), (US, Aut) changer (de vitesse)
v. intr. - se déplacer, bouger, (Cin, Théât) se situer, se modifier (une opinion), tourner (le vent), (GB) se grouiller, foncer, (US, Aut) passer en (vitesse)
n. - changement, modification, (Ind) période de travail (posté), équipe, poste, robe droite ou fourreau, chemise, (Ling) mutation, (Géol) faille, glissement, (Comput) décalage, (US, Aut) boîte de vitesses, touche de majuscule

idioms:

• shift click    clic de changement
• shift down    rétrograder
• shift for oneself    se débrouiller tout seul
• shift gears    changer de vitesse
• shift key    touche de majuscule
• shift off    changement
• shift one's ground    (fig) changer de position ou d'avis
• shift up    se décaler, (Aut) passer à une vitesse supérieure

Deutsch (German)
v. - rücken, verschieben, versetzen, loswerden, wechseln, (sich) verlagern, schalten
n. - Verschiebung, Änderung, Schicht, Schaltung, Kunstgriff, Unterkleid, Hängekleid

idioms:

• shift click    Umschaltastedruck
• shift down    zurückschalten
• shift for oneself    selbst für sich sorgen
• shift gears    schalten
• shift key    Umschalter
• shift off    abwälzen
• shift one's ground    umschwenken
• shift up    raufschalten

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - μετακινώ, μεταπίπτω, υποστρέφω
n. - στρατήγημα, ελιγμός, μετακίνηση, μετατόπιση, αλλαγή κατεύθυνσης (ανέμου κ.λπ.), βάρδια, κομπίνα, (γεωλ.) μετάπτωση, (ενδυμ.) καμιζόλα, αλλαξιά, (μηχαν.) (ΗΠΑ) αλλαγή ταχύτητας (αυτοκινήτου), μοχλός αλλαγής ταχυτήτων

idioms:

• shift click    (Η/Υ) ταυτόχρονο πάτημα Shift και ποντικιού
• shift down    μειώνω τους ρυθμούς εργασίας
• shift for oneself    τα φέρνω βόλτα μόνος μου
• shift gears    αλλάζω ταχύτητα
• shift key    (Η/Υ) πλήκτρο αλλαγής πεζών-κεφαλαίων
• shift off    (καθομ.) αναβάλλω, ξαποστέλνω, ξεφορτώνομαι
• shift one's ground    (καθομ.) αλλάζω στρατηγική ή τακτική, αλλάζω στάση (αντιμετώπισης κ.λπ.)
• shift up    εντείνω ρυθμό εργασίας

Italiano (Italian)
spostare, cambiare, passare, spostarsi, cambiar marcia, turno, espediente, spostamento

idioms:

• shift down    scalare marcia
• shift for oneself    cavarsela da soli
• shift gears    cambiar marce
• shift key    tasto delle maiuscole
• shift off    scansare la responsabilità
• shift one's ground    cambiar posizione
• shift up    innestare la marcia superiore

Português (Portuguese)
v. - mudar, transferir, substituir
n. - mudança (f), transferência (f), rotação

idioms:

• shift down    mudar o câmbio para marcha mais lenta (autom.)
• shift for oneself    prover para seu próprio sustento (coloq.)
• shift gears    marchas do câmbio
• shift key    tecla de maiúsculas
• shift off    libertar-se
• shift one's ground    colocar problema diversamente
• shift up    mudar o câmbio para marcha mais rápida (autom.)

Русский (Russian)
перестановка, переселение, изменение, сдвиг, уловка, способ, изворотливость, смена (группа рабочих, рабочий день), неотрезное платье, переключение, перемещать, перемещаться, менять, перекладывать, убирать, прибегать к уловкам, перебиваться, переодевать

idioms:

• shift down    переключение на нижнюю передачу
• shift for oneself    обходиться без посторонней помощи
• shift gears    переключать передачи
• shift key    "смена регистра"
• shift off    откладывать, уклоняться, отделаться
• shift one's ground    изменить точку зренияч
• shift up    переключение на более высокую передачу

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - correr, trasladar, desplazar, cambiar, mover, pasar, mudar de, cambiar de sitio, cambiar de marcha, trasplantar
v. intr. - desplazar, cambiar, mover, pasar, mudar de, cambiar de sitio, cambiar de marcha, moverse, menearse, trasladarse, correrse, arreglárselas, escabullirse
n. - equipo, cuadrilla, turno, recurso, expediente, desplazamiento, traslado

idioms:

• shift click    (comp) maniobra de computación que se consigue presionando la tecla mayúscula y haciendo clic con el ratón
• shift down    reducir, reducir la marcha
• shift for oneself    arreglárselas solo
• shift gears    cambiar de marcha, cambiar de velocidad
• shift key    tecla de mayúsculas
• shift off    quitarse de encima
• shift one's ground    cambiar de táctica, cambiar de argumento, adoptar una nueva postura
• shift up    apartarse, correrse

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - skifta, byta om, flytta om, stuva om, flytta över, växla, ändra ställning, förskjuta, förskjuta sig, klara sig, använda knep
n. - förändring, omsvängning, ombyte, skifte, växling, övergång, omläggning, förskjutning, knep, fint, tricks

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
转移, 替换, 更换, 移动, 搬移, 变动, 改变, 变换, 设法应付, 转换, 转变, 手段, 办法

idioms:

• shift click    以鼠标按键按下并按字型变换键
• shift down    移下
• shift for oneself    自谋生计
• shift gears    变速, 改变方式
• shift key    字型变换键
• shift off    推卸, 逃避, 回避
• shift one's ground    改变立场
• shift up    移上

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 轉移, 替換, 更換, 移動, 搬移, 變動, 改變
v. intr. - 轉移, 變換, 改變, 移動, 設法應付
n. - 轉換, 轉變, 轉移, 手段, 辦法

idioms:

• shift click    以滑鼠按鍵按下並按字型變換鍵
• shift down    移下
• shift for oneself    自謀生計
• shift gears    變速, 改變方式
• shift key    字型變換鍵
• shift off    推卸, 逃避, 回避
• shift one's ground    改變立場
• shift up    移上

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 옮기다, 변경하다, ~에게 전가하다
v. intr. - 이동하다, (방향이) 바뀌다, 속이다
n. - 이동, (근무의) 교체, 임시 변통

idioms:

• shift down    기어를 낮은 단계로 바꾸다
• shift off    (책임 따위를) 남에게 전가하다, 회피하다, (의무를) 미루다
• shift up    기어를 높은 단계로 바꾸다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 変える, 移動させる, 取り除く, ギアを入れ換える, 入れ換える, やりくりする, 移す
n. - 変化, 交替, 交替グループ, 変速装置, 手段, ごまかし, シフトドレス

idioms:

• shift down    シフトダウン
• shift for oneself    自力でやりくりする
• shift gears    ギアを変える, 方法を変える
• shift key    シフトキー
• shift off    延ばす
• shift one's ground    立場を変える
• shift up    シフトアップ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يبدل, يغير, ينتقل (الاسم) تغير في ألاتجاه, فريق مناوبه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮העביר, הזיז, שינה כיוון, החליף בגדים‬
v. intr. - ‮נע, זז, החליף הילוכים, הסתדר בצורה הטובה ביותר‬
n. - ‮העתקת-מקום, העברה, שינוי, תזוזה, היסט, משמרת, תחבולה, תכסיס, התחמקות, החלפה, שמלה, מחליף-הילוכים‬

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