shift
verb (MOVE/CHANGE) /ʃɪft/Definition
C1 [I or T] to (cause something or someone to) move or change from one position or direction to another, especially slightly: She shifted (her weight) uneasily from one foot to the other. The wind is expected to shift (to the east) tomorrow.Placing and positioning an object C1 [I] (of an idea, opinion, etc.) to change: Society's attitudes towards women have shifted enormously over the last century. Media attention has shifted recently onto environmental issues. › [T] mainly US to move the gears of a vehicle into different positions in order to make it go faster or slower: In cars that are automatics, you don't have to bother with shifting gears.Driving and operating road vehicles shift house › Indian English to leave your home in order to live in a new one; move house
(Definition of shift verb (MOVE/CHANGE) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Placing and positioning an object, but you might be interested in these topics from the Movement and location topic area:
- Advancing and moving forward
- Arrivals and departures
- Arriving, entering and invading
- Backwards, sideways and back and forth
- Bending, twisting and curving
- Boarding and alighting from modes of transport
- Bouncing
- Changing direction
- Crossing and moving through
- Delivering and despatching
- Departing
- Describing movement towards
- Digging
- Direction of motion
- Down and downward
- Emitting and ejecting
- Evicting and forcing to leave
- Falling and dropping
- Fast and rapid
- General words for movement
- Immobility
- Increasing and decreasing speed of motion
- Inserting and forcing things into other things
- Jumping
- Making short, sudden movements
- Messengers and people who deliver things
- Movement
- Movement of liquids
- Movement on or through water
- Movement through the air
- Moving a long way on foot
- Moving downwards
- Moving firmly on foot
- Moving gently on foot
- Moving in order to avoid contact
- Moving on your hands and legs or on your stomach
- Moving quickly
- Moving to avoid being seen
- Moving unsteadily or with difficulty
- Moving upwards
- Not holding the body upright
- Phrases telling people to go away
- Physical gestures of respect
- Places and locations
- Pleasant and make-believe places
- Posture
- Pulling
- Pursuing
- Pushing and shoving
- Raising and lowering
- Reclining
- Removing and extracting
- Returning to a place
- Revolving, rotating and spinning
- Runaways and refugees
- Running away and escaping
- Shaking, swinging and vibrating
- Sitting and standing
- Slow and moving slowly
- Speed of motion
- Staying and remaining
- Stretching the body
- Taking someone somewhere or telling them the way
- Throwing
- Transferring and transporting objects
- Turning upside down
- Unpleasant places
- Up and upward
- Visiting
- Walking and walkers
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More Results for “shift”
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- -based suffix (MAIN PLACE)
- bung verb
- change sth round/around phrasal verb
- clap verb (PUT QUICKLY)
- consign sb/sth to sth phrasal verb
- fit verb (PUT IN POSITION)
- heap verb
- install verb (READY TO USE)
- installation noun (EQUIPMENT/FURNITURE)
- perch verb
- position verb
- shelve verb (SHELF)
- shove verb (PUT)
- situate verb
- situated adjective
- slot verb
- stand verb (PLACE)
- stuff verb (FILL)
- tuck verb (STORE SAFELY)
- tuck verb (TIDY)
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