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

At the same time, the shifting of the national political winds often has an impact in Connecticut. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026

Heated grips come as standard, while a reversible gearshift mechanism allows riders to switch to a race-style reverse shifting pattern for circuit use. — New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026

Masterplan, though, will be exclusive to streaming—but Tucci seems comfortable shifting platforms when required. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026

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

Verb

Consequently, industry experts emphasize that underlying supply tightness remains unchanged, suggesting overnight crude price declines reflect short term market sentiment reactions to election results rather than shifting fundamentals. — CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026

Proposition 50 slightly increased the district’s Democratic registration advantage while shifting its boundaries northward to include communities such as Huron, Riverdale, Caruthers, Kerman and San Joaquin. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

But the broader financing challenges facing finance chiefs extend beyond the shifting political landscape. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2026

After losing his Senate bid to Cruz in 2024, Allred initially entered the 2026 Senate race before shifting his campaign to the newly redrawn 33rd Congressional District. — Doug Myers, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026

Another concern is the shifting landscape around artificial-intelligence-powering orbital data centers. — Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026

That water releases enormous amounts of heat into the atmosphere, shifting weather patterns around the world. — Ava Berger, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026

Few games ultimately ended up shifting, however, after clubs were reminded that the whole point of the effort was to increase labor output. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 28 Oct. 2026

More broadly, the USSR was shifting from overregulated socialism to unregulated capitalism, which would reveal itself in full force in the 1990s. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 28 Oct. 2026