shift

shift1 [ ʃıft ] verb ***

1. ) intransitive or transitive to move your body or a part of your body slightly, for example because you are bored:

The children are shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

shift your weight: Martha shifted her weight from foot to foot.

a ) if things such as land or buildings shift, or something shifts them, they move slightly:

The wall is shifting a little bit every year.

b ) to move your eyes in order to look at something else:

shift your eyes/gaze: She stared at him, then shifted her gaze to the suitcase on the bed.

2. ) intransitive or transitive if an idea, attitude, or plan shifts or someone shifts it, it changes:

Public opinion had shifted sharply following the war.

shift attention/focus/emphasis: The government has shifted its attention away from the fight against crime.

Our focus is shifting back toward Asia.

a ) to make someone or something else responsible for something, especially when this is unfair:

shift blame/responsibility: They want to shift the blame for rising unemployment onto the recession.

b ) to change from one GEAR to another when you are driving a car:

She shifted smoothly into third gear.

3. ) intransitive to press the SHIFT KEY on a computer keyboard

shift gears AMERICAN

to stop thinking or talking about one subject and start thinking or talking about something else

shift

shift 2 [ ʃıft ] noun count **

1. ) a period of work time in a factory, hospital, or other place where some people work during the day and some work at night:

a 12-hour shift

day/night/evening etc. shift: Rudy works the day shift.

a ) the people who work during a particular shift

2. ) a change in something, for example in someone's ideas or opinions:

the government's latest major policy shift

shift in: Companies were reacting too slowly to shifts in consumer demand.

shift toward: There has been a recent shift toward hiring more people with good writing skills.

3. ) a SHIFT KEY on a computer keyboard

4. ) a woman's dress that hangs down straight