the act of changing one thing or position for another; "his switch on abortion cost him the election";
the act of moving from one place to another; "his constant shifting disrupted the class";
a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist;
a woman''s sleeveless undergarment;
a qualitative change;
an event in which something is displaced without rotation;
a group of workers who work for a specific period of time;
(geology) a crack in the earth''s crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other; "they built it right over a geological fault";
the time period during which you are at work;
make a shift in or exchange of; "First Joe led; then we switched";
move and exchange for another; "shift the date for our class reunion";
lay aside, abandon, or leave for another; "switch to a different brand of beer"; "She switched psychiatrists"; "The car changed lanes";
change gears; "you have to shift when you go down a steep hill";
move from one setting or context to another; "shift the emphasis"; "shift one''s attention";
change in quality; "His tone shifted";
change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change; "Grimm showed how the consonants shifted";
use a shift key on a keyboard; "She could not shift so all ther letters are written in lower case";
move abruptly; "The ship suddenly lurched to the left";
change place or direction; "Shift one''s position";
move sideways or in an unsteady way; "The ship careened out of control";
move very slightly; "He shifted in his seat";
move around; "transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacket";
