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

Leaning into a new fragrance can be a meaningful way to mark the shifting of the seasons, and Belnu's two latest launches -- Still Bloom and Vanilla Bouclé -- offer two stunning scents to try this fall. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

That's led to some concern about whether the team needs to alter its approach to cut down on the flags — perhaps by using less motion and shifting. — CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026

The main reason is that large, widening cracks can signal structural shifting or underlying damage that DIY caulk cannot address. — Bianca Lambert, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026

Most EVs have a single-speed transmission, which means there’s no shifting between multiple gears. — Lauren Swift, AJC.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Transmission fluid lubricates and cools gears for smooth shifting. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

The potential shifting of styles is no problem for Velasquez, who has danced under Cunningham and Binda and their successors Seiwert and Krutzkamp in her time in Sacramento. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026

In part, this shifting of possession is forced by Brighton, whose out-of-possession approach is much more aggressive. — Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026

The Ultra also pairs an eight-speed Shimano drivetrain with EDS electronic shifting. — New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2026

Verb

Jarvis sacrifices himself to stabilize Vision’s mind, deleting his code and shifting his processing power to the other AIs to keep them functional. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026

This new study reveals that experimental niobium-titanium alloys can defy this rule at a freezing -253°C (20 kelvin) by spontaneously shifting their atomic structure to form mirror-image twins and generate fresh defects. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026

Oakley wanted to emphasize nature and to show how the Dashwood women’s emotional landscapes evolved alongside the shifting landscapes around them, both in the countryside at Barton Cottage and in the more confining social landscape of London. — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Even with a shifting Boston portfolio, their ultra-luxury holdings remain vast. — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026

The second move is shifting eligible freight to rail, which costs significantly less per mile than truckload, though Horrigan cautioned that a late train can spoil the economics. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026

In an industry that is shifting to accommodate new technology, even RadicalMedia wants one thing to remain the same — its reputation. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026

The ever-shifting narrative about who controls the Strait of Hormuz has changed once again. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026

One of their initial efforts to combat the surge in run prevention was to restrict infield shifting. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026