swing shift

noun

1
: the work shift between the day and night shifts (as from 4 p.m. to midnight)
2
: a group of workers in a factory operating seven days a week that work as needed to permit the regular shift workers to have one or more free days per week

Examples of swing shift in a Sentence

He works the swing shift.
Recent Examples on the Web For her work, cleaning rooms on the swing shift—between 5 p.m. and 1 a.m.—Mendez makes $21 an hour, and rarely gets tips. Irina Ivanova, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2023 Kenley Jansen wanted to when Alex Cora apologized to ex-Dodgers for Astros cheating June 29, 2023 The Dodgers wasted no time punching in for their swing shift, Betts opening the game with a double off the right-center field wall. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2023 One Hearthside worker, Carolina Yoc, 15, described a grueling schedule of juggling school and eight-hour swing shifts each day, working to nearly midnight packaging Cheerios. Hannah Dreier, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023 One Hearthside worker, Carolina Yoc, 15, described a grueling schedule of juggling school and eight-hour swing shifts packaging Cheerios each day. Hannah Dreier, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2023 His late father used to work swing shifts at a power station. Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2023 He’s also taken a job at a call center, accepting a swing shift that will mean missing dinners with his family. Bethany Rodgers, The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 Oct. 2020 Lee, then 35, was about to start the second half of her swing shift Feb. 4, 2020, when a call came over her CTA radio for a supervisor needed immediately at the Red Line’s Jackson stop. Stacy St. Clair, chicagotribune.com, 22 Oct. 2021 Most recently, Lim worked the swing shift, 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., at Community Regional Medical Center. Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swing shift.' 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

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swing shift was in 1940

Dictionary Entries Near swing shift

Cite this Entry

“Swing shift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swing%20shift. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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