CHANGE [I, T] › to change something: We are trying to shift the emphasis from curing illness to preventing it. MOVE STH [T] › to move something to another place: We need to shift all these boxes into the other room. MOVE YOURSELF [I, T] › to move into a different position: He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. CHANGE SPEED [T] (also shift into) US › to change the position of the gears (= parts that control how fast the wheels turn) in a vehicle: to shift gears She shifted into neutral and turned off the engine.