noun an arrangement for shifting a belt sidewise from one pulley to another.
2. shifter ·noun a wire for changing a loop from one needle to another, as in narrowing, ·etc.
3. shifter ·noun one who, or that which, shifts; one who plays tricks or practices artifice; a cozener.
4. shifter ·noun an assistant to the ship's cook in washing, steeping, and shifting the salt provisions.