Antonyms for shift
| Grammar : Noun, verb |
| Spell : shift |
| Phonetic Transcription : ʃɪft |
Definition of shift
Origin :- Old English sciftan, scyftan "arrange, place, order," also "divide, partition; distribute, allot, share," from Proto-Germanic *skiftan (cf. Old Norse skipta "to divide, change, separate," Old Frisian skifta "to decide, determine, test," Dutch schiften "to divide, turn," German schichten "to classify," Schicht "shift"). This is said to be related to the source of Old English sceadan "divide, separate," (see shed (v.)).
- c.1200 as "to dispose; make ready; set in order, control," also intransitive, "take care of oneself." From c.1300 as "to go, move, depart; move (someone or something), transport." Sense of "to alter, to change" appeared mid-13c. (cf. shiftless). Meaning "change the gear setting of an engine" is from 1910; to shift gears in the figurative sense is from 1961. Related: Shifted; shifting.
- noun switch, fluctuation
- noun trick, stratagem
- noun time served doing work
- verb switch, fluctuate
- The ships did not get clear without some trouble, and we thought it wisest to shift our berth.
- Extract from : « Ned Myers » by James Fenimore Cooper
- These were denied us, and we were told to shift for ourselves.
- Extract from : « Ned Myers » by James Fenimore Cooper
- On my return to Philadelphia, I resolved to shift my ground, and try a new tack.
- Extract from : « Ned Myers » by James Fenimore Cooper
- I sung out, "there's breakers, and everybody must shift for himself."
- Extract from : « Ned Myers » by James Fenimore Cooper
- Next door to where I board there's a dog that goes on shift as regular as a policeman.
- Extract from : « Good Indian » by B. M. Bower
- He moved his arm, trying to shift it from his Padrona's hand.
- Extract from : « A Spirit in Prison » by Robert Hichens
- But the man did not move more than to shift a club to his right hand.
- Extract from : « Two Thousand Miles Below » by Charles Willard Diffin
- But maybe they'd be mighty glad to shift if there was a chance right at hand.
- Extract from : « Thankful's Inheritance » by Joseph C. Lincoln
- And, if you want to shift responsibility, shift it on to me.
- Extract from : « Cap'n Warren's Wards » by Joseph C. Lincoln
- Their intimacy had been very rapid, but he too hoped that it would not shift.
- Extract from : « Where Angels Fear to Tread » by E. M. Forster
Synonyms for shift
- about-face
- alter
- alteration
- artifice
- bend
- blow hot and cold
- bottom out
- bout
- budge
- change
- change gears
- changeover
- contrivance
- conversion
- cook
- craft
- deflection
- deviate
- deviation
- device
- dial back
- dislocate
- displace
- displacement
- disturb
- do up
- dodge
- double
- drift
- equivocation
- evasion
- exchange
- expediency
- expedient
- fault
- flip-flop
- gambit
- go
- hem and haw
- hoax
- makeshift
- maneuver
- modification
- move
- move around
- move over
- passage
- period
- permutation
- ploy
- rearrange
- rearrangement
- recalibrate
- recourse
- refuge
- relocate
- removal
- remove
- replace
- reposition
- resort
- resource
- ruse
- shifting
- ship
- shuffle
- slip
- spell
- stint
- stir
- stopgap
- strategy
- substitute
- substitution
- subterfuge
- swap places
- swerve
- switch over
- tack
- time
- tour
- transfer
- transference
- transformation
- transit
- translocation
- transmogrify
- transpose
- trick
- turn
- turn around
- turn the corner
- turn the tables
- vacillate
- variation
- vary
- veer
- veering
- waffle
- wile
- working time
- yaw
- yo-yo
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019