1
as in moves
to change the place or position of
he shifted the vase closer to the wall so that it wouldn't get knocked over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in twitches
to change one's position
she shifted uncomfortably in her seat throughout the interview
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in changes
to pass from one form, state, or level to another
she watched the aurora in fascination as its colors shifted from green to blue
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in swaps
to give up (something) and take something else in return
my brother and I shifted seats just before takeoff so that he could sit by the window
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in copes
to meet one's day-to-day needs
left the others to shift for themselves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in means
an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result
desperate shifts to stave off financial disaster
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in movements
the act or an instance of changing position
made a small shift to the left to make more room on the bench
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shifts
Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The hiring spree comes as the company shifts more aggressively toward enterprise sales and tries to regain momentum against Anthropic and Google, and as the company eyes a possible IPO within the next 12 months.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
The kind of truth that shifts the room without explaining the entire plot.
—Dawn Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
The left side of the infield will consist of senior third baseman Bode Rohrbach and senior Trevor Wallace, who shifts from second base.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
But running through even two or three of them shifts you from passive label reader to active evaluator.
—Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
The law shifts the financial burden of paying brokers from renters to landlords.
—Mahsa Saeidi, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
However, for Rose Reese’s return also shifts attention back toward Rose’s postseason outlook.
—D’joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
When a word feels too abstract, Jacobs shifts the phrasing, lowers the tempo or elongates a syllable until Siena grasps it.
—Reylee Billingsley, AZCentral.com, 7 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026
Reality itself hasn’t changed, but Grace’s sense of reality shifts in an important way.
—Deana L. Weibel, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
As an example, Griffin once asked Barrack to examine how changes in outside temperatures translate into shifts in heating demand—and the subtle timing effects that influence when that demand shows up in energy markets.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Drivers can expect long-term lane and ramp closures, as well as lane shifts throughout the work zone.
—Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 31 Mar. 2026
When unimaginable tragedy strikes, the tone of Laxe’s film shifts to become an existential horror film, one of the most unforgettable of last year.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
House Bill 239 shifts that balance away from local communities and toward state mandates.
—Stephanie Flasch, Baltimore Sun, 31 Mar. 2026
But step inside and the mood shifts entirely.
—Vicki Power, TheWeek, 31 Mar. 2026
Currently, however, deeper economic and geopolitical shifts are affecting Europe’s industrial base.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
Gruev goes inside to Ampadu, who quickly shifts it to James Justin as Habib Diarra harries him.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The hiring spree comes as the company shifts more aggressively toward enterprise sales and tries to regain momentum against Anthropic and Google, and as the company eyes a possible IPO within the next 12 months.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
The kind of truth that shifts the room without explaining the entire plot.
—Dawn Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
The left side of the infield will consist of senior third baseman Bode Rohrbach and senior Trevor Wallace, who shifts from second base.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
But running through even two or three of them shifts you from passive label reader to active evaluator.
—Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
The law shifts the financial burden of paying brokers from renters to landlords.
—Mahsa Saeidi, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
However, for Rose Reese’s return also shifts attention back toward Rose’s postseason outlook.
—D’joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
When a word feels too abstract, Jacobs shifts the phrasing, lowers the tempo or elongates a syllable until Siena grasps it.
—Reylee Billingsley, AZCentral.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Noun
While the closing of the Strait of Hormuz has not yet caused dramatic shifts in Brazil’s gasoline market, the country is struggling with rising diesel prices.
—ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026
Reality itself hasn’t changed, but Grace’s sense of reality shifts in an important way.
—Deana L. Weibel, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
As an example, Griffin once asked Barrack to examine how changes in outside temperatures translate into shifts in heating demand—and the subtle timing effects that influence when that demand shows up in energy markets.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Drivers can expect long-term lane and ramp closures, as well as lane shifts throughout the work zone.
—Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 31 Mar. 2026
When unimaginable tragedy strikes, the tone of Laxe’s film shifts to become an existential horror film, one of the most unforgettable of last year.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
House Bill 239 shifts that balance away from local communities and toward state mandates.
—Stephanie Flasch, Baltimore Sun, 31 Mar. 2026
But step inside and the mood shifts entirely.
—Vicki Power, TheWeek, 31 Mar. 2026
Currently, however, deeper economic and geopolitical shifts are affecting Europe’s industrial base.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shifts
Verb
-
Israel moves fast, launching a bold military operation against a weaker Middle Eastern neighbor.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
After that, the Moon moves from LEO into VIRGO.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Persistent muscle twitches Everyone’s muscles twitch from time to time, usually at various locations.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Some devices, for example, track eye movements or other small muscle twitches to let users select words from a screen.—
Emma R. Hasson,
Scientific American,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The group’s bill also changes pharmacy benefit manager rebate programs to save money.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The pool’s positioning also changes slightly with each model.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Louisianians know the pleasure of a cushaw, which swaps perfectly with pumpkin.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Sweet Caroline swaps the typical dinner-and-drinks routine for something way more interactive.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Our awkward hero copes with grief through humor while navigating relationships with her type-A sister (Sian Clifford), her nasty stepmother (Olivia Colman), and, in season 2, a hot priest (Andrew Scott).—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Mar. 2026
-
New secrets about the city’s origins arise, and the social structure struggles as the bunker copes with fallout from last season.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
About 7 million barrels per day of that loss is being made up through other means, like the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates and the release of strategic reserves, according to Kpler data.—
Victor Ordonez,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
But Reich says philanthropy is still regularly used by people with means to cultivate their reputations.—
Katia Riddle,
NPR,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Senor and Stephens are neoconservatives who hardly needed to be convinced that the members of progressive movements were not friends of the Jewish people.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Powered by a new system called MoDE-VLA (Mixture of Dexterous Experts), the robot combines vision, language, touch, and force sensing to execute complex movements.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Jude relocates this tale of troubled conscience to present-day Cluj-Napoca, in Transylvania, and subjects it to a corrosively cynical twist.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, the event featuring numerous NFL players and coaches relocates to BMO Stadium, which will be the home site when flag football makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Games.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shifts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shifts. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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