/ ʃɪft; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
MOVE
1.
shift (sth) (from ... ) (to ... ) to move, or move sth, from one position or place to another :
[ v ]
The action of the novel shifts from Paris to London.
Lydia shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
[ vn ]
He shifted his gaze from the child to her.
Could you help me shift some furniture?
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
2.
[ v , vn ] shift (yourself) ( BrE , informal ) to move quickly
SYN hurry
SITUATION / OPINION / POLICY
3.
[ v ] shift (from ... ) (to / towards / toward ... ) ( of a situation, an opinion, a policy etc. ) to change from one state, position, etc. to another :
Public attitudes towards marriage have shifted over the past 50 years.
The balance of power shifted away from workers towards employers.
4.
[ vn ] shift sth (from ... ) (to / towards / toward ... ) to change your opinion of or attitude towards sth, or change the way that you do sth :
We need to shift the focus of this debate.
The new policy shifted the emphasis away from fighting inflation.
RESPONSIBILITY
5.
[ vn ] shift responsibility / blame (for sth) (onto sb) to make sb else responsible for sth you should do or sth bad that you have done :
He tried to shift the blame for his mistakes onto his colleagues.
REMOVE MARK
6.
[ vn ] to remove sth such as a dirty mark
SYN get rid of :
a detergent that shifts even the most stubborn stains
SELL GOODS
7.
[ vn ] to sell goods, especially goods that are difficult to sell :
They cut prices drastically to try and shift stock.
IN VEHICLE
8.
[ v ] ( NAmE ) to change the gears when you are driving a vehicle :
to shift into second gear
•
IDIOMS
- shift your ground
- (the) shifting sands (of sth)
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- shift for yourself
■ noun
CHANGE
1.
[ C ] shift (in sth) a change in position or direction :
a dramatic shift in public opinion
a shift of emphasis
—see also paradigm shift
PERIOD OF WORK
2.
[ C ] a period of time worked by a group of workers who start work as another group finishes :
to be on the day / night shift at the factory
to work an eight-hour shift
working in shifts
shift workers / work
—see also swing shift
3.
[ C +sing./pl. v . ] the workers who work a particular shift :
The night shift has / have just come off duty.
ON COMPUTER
4.
[ U ] the system on a computer keyboard or typewriter that allows capital letters or a different set of characters to be typed :
a shift key
CLOTHING
5.
[ C ] a woman's simple straight dress
6.
[ C ] a simple straight piece of clothing worn by women in the past as underwear
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English sciftan arrange, divide, share , of Germanic origin; related to German schichten to layer. A common Middle English sense change, replace gave rise to the noun senses 5 and 6 (via the notion of changing one's clothes) and senses 2 and 3 (via the concept of relays of workers).