shiftier; shiftiest
Synonyms
Examples of shifty in a Sentence
shifty politicians making deals to channel federal funds into their districts
shifty practices such as turning back the odometers on used cars
Recent Examples on the Web
Threat culminated the scoring with a 25-yard TD run with 5:54 remaining, leaving defenders grasping for air with a pair of shifty moves of his own.
—
Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2023
According to receivers coach Darrell Wyatt, Flowers is more shifty, but O’Keefe is faster in a straight line.
—Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2023
Soon they’re joined by Owen Wilson as a shifty priest, Danny DeVito as a cranky professor and Tiffany Haddish as an amusingly mountebank-ish medium, all of them enlisted (and in some cases forced) to help figure out why this particular haunting feels more like an infestation.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2023
The rookie running back made the most of an extended look during the second half of the Cowboys’ preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, finding the end zone after showing off some shifty moves in the open field.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 12 Aug. 2023
Benny Safdie makes a memorably sweaty and argumentative Edward Teller, an early proponent of the hydrogen bomb who has his own shifty role to play in Oppenheimer’s postwar tribulations.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2023
Branch finished with eight catches, flashing his shifty speed and his surprising strength.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2023
Banks offers the size (6-2, 205 pounds) to jockey with bigger receivers and the fluidity to stick close to shiftier ones. 24.
—Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2023
Yet his struggles to change direction and transition at the top of routes leave him vulnerable against shiftier receivers.
—Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2023
See More
Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2023
According to receivers coach Darrell Wyatt, Flowers is more shifty, but O’Keefe is faster in a straight line.
—Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2023
Soon they’re joined by Owen Wilson as a shifty priest, Danny DeVito as a cranky professor and Tiffany Haddish as an amusingly mountebank-ish medium, all of them enlisted (and in some cases forced) to help figure out why this particular haunting feels more like an infestation.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2023
The rookie running back made the most of an extended look during the second half of the Cowboys’ preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, finding the end zone after showing off some shifty moves in the open field.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 12 Aug. 2023
Benny Safdie makes a memorably sweaty and argumentative Edward Teller, an early proponent of the hydrogen bomb who has his own shifty role to play in Oppenheimer’s postwar tribulations.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2023
Branch finished with eight catches, flashing his shifty speed and his surprising strength.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2023
Banks offers the size (6-2, 205 pounds) to jockey with bigger receivers and the fluidity to stick close to shiftier ones. 24.
—Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2023
Yet his struggles to change direction and transition at the top of routes leave him vulnerable against shiftier receivers.
—Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shifty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near shifty
Cite this Entry
“Shifty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shifty. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
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