Shift1. (v. t.) To divide; to distribute; to apportion.
2. (v. t.) To change the place of; to move or remove from one place to another; as, to shift a burden from one shoulder to another; to shift the blame.
3. (v. t.) To change the position of; to alter the bearings of; to turn; as, to shift the helm or sails.
4. (v. t.) To exchange for another of the same class; to remove and to put some similar thing in its place; to change; as, to shift the clothes; to shift the scenes.
5. (v. t.) To change the clothing of; -- used reflexively.
6. (v. t.) To put off or out of the way by some expedient.
7. (n.) The act of shifting.
8. (n.) The act of putting one thing in the place of another, or of changing the place of a thing; change; substitution.
9. (v. t.) Something frequently shifted; especially, a woman's under-garment; a chemise.
10. (n.) The change of one set of workmen for another; hence, a spell, or turn, of work; also, a set of workmen who work in turn with other sets; as, a night shift.
11. (v. t.) In building, the extent, or arrangement, of the overlapping of plank, brick, stones, etc., that are placed in courses so as to break joints.
12. (n.) A breaking off and dislocation of a seam; a fault.
13. (n.) A change of the position of the hand on the finger board, in playing the violin.
Thesaurus Entries
Doppler effect, aberrancy, aberration, about ship, about the bush, about-face, accommodation, action, ad hoc measure, adaptation, adjustment, advance, alchemy, alter, alteration, alternate, ameliorate, amelioration, amotion, anchor watch, answer, apostasy, around the bush, art, artful dodge, artifice, ascend, assimilate to, assimilation, assumption, back, back and fill, back up, bag of tricks, be changed, be converted into, be renewed, bear away, bear off, bear to starboard, beat, beat about, beat around, become, becoming, beg the question, bend, betterment, bias, bicker, bit, blind, blouse, bluff, bodice, boggle, bosey, bottom out, bout, box off, branch off, branching off, break, bring about, bring round, bring to, budge, cadre, caftan, cant, cant round, carry away, carry off, cart away, cast, cast about, catch, cavil, change, change course, change into, change of heart, change over, change place, change the bearing, change the heading, change-over, changeableness, changeover, cheat, checker, chemise, chicanery, chop, chop and change, choplogic, chouse, circle, circuitousness, climb, come about, come around, come round, conspiracy, constructive change, continuity, contrivance, conversion, convert, corner, corps, corsage, countermove, coup, course of action, craft, crew, crook, curve, curve-ball, cute trick, day shift, deceit, deceive, declination, defection, deflection, degenerate, degeneration, degenerative change, delocalization, delocalize, demarche, depart from, departure, deracination, dernier ressort, descend, design, deteriorate, deterioration, detour, deviance, deviancy, deviate, deviation, device, deviousness, dickey, difference, digress, digression, dirty deal, dirty trick, disarrangement, disarticulation, discontinuity, discursion, disjointing, dislocation, dislodge, displace, displacement, dither, divagate, divagation, divaricate, divarication, diverge, divergence, diversification, diversify, diversion, diversity, do over, dodge, dogleg, dogwatch, double, double a point, drift, drifting, duck, ebb, ebb and flow, edge, effort, equivocate, errantry, evade, evade the issue, excursion, excursus, exorbitation, expediency, expedient, fakement, fast deal, feint, fence, fetch, fetch about, ficelle, finesse, fitting, flip-flop, flop, flounder, flow, fluctuate, forcible shift, full time, gambit, game, gang, get over, gimmick, go, go about, go around, go round, go sideways, go through phases, googly, gradual change, graveyard shift, grift, group, growth, gybe, gyrate, hairpin, half time, haul around, heave round, hedge, heel, hem and haw, heterotopia, hocus-pocus, hours, improve, improvement, improvisation, incoherence, indirection, intrigue, jibe, jibe all standing, joker, juggle, jugglery, jury-rig, jury-rigged expedient