shift

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English sciftan to divide, arrange; akin to Old Norse skipa to arrange, assign Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. to exchange for or replace by another ; change 2. a. to change the place, position, or direction of ; move b. to make a change in (place) 3. to change phonetically intransitive verb 1. a. to change place or position b. to change direction <

the wind shifted

> c. to change gears d. to depress the shift key (as on a typewriter) 2. a. to assume responsibility <

had to shift for themselves

> b. to resort to expedients 3. a. to go through a change <

she shifted in her approach

> b. to change one's clothes c. to become changed phonetically • shiftable adjective II. noun Date: 1523 1. a. a means or device for effecting an end b. (1) a deceitful or underhand scheme ; dodge (2) an effort or expedient exerted or tried in difficult circumstances ; extremity <

was put to hard shifts for a living — Benjamin Franklin

> 2. a. chiefly dialect a change of clothes b. (1) chiefly dialect shirt (2) a woman's slip or chemise (3) a usually loose-fitting or semifitted dress 3. a. a change in direction <

a shift in the wind

> b. a change in emphasis, judgment, or attitude 4. a. a group of people who work or occupy themselves in turn with other groups b. (1) a change of one group of people (as workers) for another in regular alternation (2) a scheduled period of work or duty <

works the night shift

> 5. a change in place or position: as a. a change in the position of the hand on a fingerboard (as of a violin) b. (1) fault 5 (2) the relative displacement of rock masses on opposite sides of a fault or fault zone c. (1) a simultaneous change of position in football by two or more players from one side of the line to the other (2) a change of positions made by one or more players in baseball to provide better defense against a particular hitter d. a change in frequency resulting in a change in position of a spectral line or band — compare Doppler effect e. a movement of bits in a computer register a specified number of places to the right or left 6. a removal from one person or thing to another ; transfer 7. consonant shift 8. a bid in bridge in a suit other than the suit one's partner has bid — compare jump 9. gearshift Synonyms: see resource