shift

Academic Word List, sublist 3.

About 34.10 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. noun A movement to do something, a beginning.
2. noun An act of shifting; a slight movement or change.

   There was a shift in the political atmosphere.

3. noun A share, a portion assigned on division.
4. noun A type of women's undergarment of dress length worn under dresses or skirts, a slip or chemise.

   Just last week she bought a new shift at the market.

5. noun A simple straight-hanging, loose-fitting dress.
6. noun A change of workers, now specifically a set group of workers or period of working time.

   We'll work three shifts a day till the job's done.

7. noun The gear mechanism in a motor vehicle.

   Does it come with a stick-shift?

8. noun Alternative letter-case form of Shift (“a modifier button of computer keyboards”).

   If you press shift-P, the preview display will change.

Similar words

chemise sack switching teddy slip sway tilt wobble turn around careen

Often followed by

in of from to the is and away toward

Word family

shiftable shifted shifting shifts