Synonyms of shifting

shifting 1 of 2

noun

as in shift

the act or an instance of changing position

the shifting of the toys to the front of the display was a direct result of their sudden popularity

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shift
• move
• movement
• relocation
• motion
• stirring
• flapping
• stir
• twitching
• migration
• mobility
• dislocation
• locomotion
• motility
• waving
• squirming
• squirm
• fiddling
• writhing
• fidgeting
• wriggling
• motivity
• flailing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inertia
• immobility
• motionlessness
• stop
• termination
• stillness
• cessation
• finish
• pause
• halt
• lapse
• expiration
• ending
• discontinuance
• shutdown
• stoppage
• inertness
• shutoff
• surcease

shifting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of shift

1

as in moving

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

• moving
• relocating
• removing
• transferring
• transporting
• disturbing
• displacing
• repositioning
• transposing
• replacing
• hauling
• conveying
• carrying
• dislocating
• transmitting
• driving
• budging
• altering
• lugging
• transplanting
• modifying
• superseding
• supplanting
• carting
• varying
• toting
• revising
• reworking
• bearing
• remaking
• remodeling
• revamping
• redoing
• making over
• refashioning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• securing
• stabilizing
• setting
• fixing
• anchoring
• freezing
• mooring
• embedding
• rooting
• lodging
• implanting
• entrenching
• ingraining

2

as in squirming

to change one's position

she shifted uncomfortably in her seat throughout the interview

Synonyms & Similar Words

• moving
• squirming
• twitching
• stirring
• fidgeting
• locomoting
• wiggling
• tossing
• budging
• fiddling
• writhing
• jiggling
• wriggling
• rousing
• squiggling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• freezing
• remaining
• staying
• hanging around
• stabilizing
• stilling
• sticking around
• tarrying

3

as in changing

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

• changing
• varying
• fluctuating
• mutating
• improving
• snapping
• morphing
• transmuting
• deteriorating
• metamorphosing
• worsening
• bettering
• vacillating
• turning around
• wavering
• seesawing
• teetering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stabilizing
• plateauing

4

as in exchanging

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

• exchanging
• swapping
• changing
• trading
• substituting
• switching
• commuting
• replacing
• interchanging
• displacing
• superseding
• reciprocating
• yielding
• surrendering
• ceding
• handing over

5

as in coping

to meet one's day-to-day needs

left the others to shift for themselves

Synonyms & Similar Words

• coping
• doing
• managing
• surviving
• getting along
• making ends meet
• faring
• getting on
• getting by
• making do
• affording
• making out
• making shift
• scrounging
• fending for oneself
• contriving
• carrying on
• scraping (by or through)
• squeezing
• lasting
• scraping (out)
• swinging
• wringing
• wresting
• eking out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• failing
• collapsing
• floundering
• declining
• falling short
• waning
• slumping
• fizzling
• giving up
• petering (out)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shifting

Noun

What sets it apart is its use of a Shimano Cues Di2, one of the component maker’s low-end electronic shifting systems. — ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026

The bargain rewards responsible development and filters out speculation, secrecy and cost shifting. — Mark Drapeau, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Second, the recent shifting of US export control policy has created a real concern among other nations that access to frontier intelligence itself could someday be gated by geopolitics, not just chips. — Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Recorded on a Tascam four-track in her Los Angeles living room, the demos capture Auf der Maur experimenting with acoustic guitar, bass, layered vocals and lo-fi tape manipulation, including reversing cassettes and pitch-shifting. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 20 July 2026

This resulted in a deliberate shifting of certain emphases, new characters being introduced, and other adjustments. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 June 2026

Providing a sand source Beach shifting occurs naturally as sand migrates. — Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026

In the Victoria Room, a centerpiece of kaleidoscopes and angled mirrors creates a shifting, disorienting effect that echoes Alice’s world, surrounded by lush seasonal plantings. — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 25 June 2026

Now 89% off, this Bedsure duvet cover is soft and lightweight, and the extra ties in the corners and along the sides keep the comforter in place and eliminate pesky overnight shifting. — Better Homes & Gardens, 24 June 2026

Verb

As rising energy prices drive up inflation, several central banks across the Asia-Pacific region are shifting toward hawkish stances. — CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

The shifting strategy centers on threats to punish any country or entity that continues to conduct business with Tehran. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026

Just three suburbs — Elk Grove Village, Northlake and Franklin Park — cut the valuation of data center property by $2 billion, shifting that burden to other taxpayers. — David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Federal immigration officers are shifting their targets and tactics to increase arrests. — David Nakamura, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2026

This time around, his administration has adopted burden shifting as a rallying cry and seems poised to act on it. — Jennifer Kavanagh, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026

As the canal prepares to endure the shifting weather patterns, two of the ports adjacent to the waterway have remained central to a growing rift between Panama and terminal operator CK Hutchison. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026

As can best be summarized, the title character Niu Lai is a young calf born to a forest/shifting dreamscape who relies on his mother for protection. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026

That is what shifting a standard of care actually looks like. — Erez Meltzer, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026