shift
verb/ʃɪft/
/ʃɪft/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they shift | /ʃɪft/ /ʃɪft/ |
| he / she / it shifts | /ʃɪfts/ /ʃɪfts/ |
| past simple shifted | /ˈʃɪftɪd/ /ˈʃɪftɪd/ |
| past participle shifted | /ˈʃɪftɪd/ /ˈʃɪftɪd/ |
| -ing form shifting | /ˈʃɪftɪŋ/ /ˈʃɪftɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to move, or move something, from one position or place to another
- Lydia shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
- I shifted uneasily under his gaze.
- shift from somebody/something to somebody/something The action of the novel shifts from Paris to London.
- shift to somebody/something The main hub of America's dairy industry is shifting to New Mexico and Idaho.
- shift something Could you help me shift some furniture?
- Julie shifted her position slightly and smiled.
- shift something from somebody/something to somebody/something He shifted his gaze from the child to her.
- She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
- shift something to something The company is shifting production to India.
Extra Examples- Government grants are being shifted away from the capital to the regions.
- In recent years, manufacturing has shifted out of the US.
- Like many plays, this one shifts back and forth in time and place.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- slightly
- impatiently
- nervously
- …
- from
- onto
- to
- …
- shift from foot to foot
- shift in your chair
- shift in your seat
- …
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [intransitive, transitive] shift (yourself) (British English, informal) to move quickly synonym hurry
- [intransitive] (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.
- constantly shifting alliances
- The press's attention shifted elsewhere, at least temporarily.
- The public's attitude had shifted dramatically.
- shift (away) from somebody/something to/towards somebody/something The balance of power shifted away from workers towards employers.
- shift (away) from somebody/something I felt the advantage had suddenly shifted away from us.
- shift to/towards/toward somebody/something Her sympathies gradually shifted to the side of the protesters.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- dramatically
- markedly
- radically
- …
- attempt to
- try to
- tend to
- …
- (away) from
- back
- back and forth
- …
- [transitive] to change your opinion of or attitude towards something, or change the way that you do something
- shift something We need to shift the focus of this debate.
- shift something (from…) (to/towards/toward…) The new policy shifted the emphasis away from fighting inflation.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumentc1- They are trying to shift public attitudes about the nature of old age.
- These changes will shift the balance in higher education more towards science subjects.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- dramatically
- markedly
- radically
- …
- attempt to
- try to
- tend to
- …
- (away) from
- back
- back and forth
- …
- [transitive] shift responsibility/blame (for something) (onto somebody) to make somebody else responsible for something you should do or something bad that you have done
- He tried to shift the blame for his mistakes onto his colleagues.
Extra Examples- We cannot simply shift the responsibility onto someone else.
- They tried to shift the blame onto the government.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- dramatically
- markedly
- radically
- …
- attempt to
- try to
- tend to
- …
- (away) from
- back
- back and forth
- …
- [transitive] shift something to remove something such as a dirty mark synonym get rid of something
- a detergent that shifts even the most stubborn stains
- [transitive] shift something to sell goods, especially goods that are difficult to sell
- They cut prices drastically to try and shift stock.
- [intransitive] (North American English) to change the gears when you are driving a vehicle
- to shift into second gear
move
situation/opinion/policy
responsibility
remove mark
sell goods
in vehicle
Word OriginOld 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 sense of ‘changing one's clothes’) and senses (2) and (3) (via the sense of ‘relays of workers’).
Idioms
See shift in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee shift in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishshift your ground
- (usually disapproving) to change your opinion about a subject, especially during a discussion
- Each time he seemed to be losing the argument, he just shifted his ground.
(the) shifting sands (of something)
- used to describe a situation that changes so often that it is difficult to understand or deal with it
Check pronunciation:
shift