Synonyms of shifts

shifts 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shift

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

• moves
• relocates
• transfers
• removes
• transports
• disturbs
• transposes
• displaces
• conveys
• repositions
• replaces
• carries
• hauls
• dislocates
• drives
• budges
• transmits
• alters
• transplants
• varies
• modifies
• carts
• supersedes
• lugs
• supplants
• revises
• reworks
• bears
• totes
• remakes
• makes over
• remodels
• revamps
• refashions
• redoes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sets
• stabilizes
• freezes
• fixes
• secures
• anchors
• roots
• embeds
• moors
• lodges
• implants
• entrenches
• ingrains

2

as in twitches

to change one's position

she shifted uncomfortably in her seat throughout the interview

Synonyms & Similar Words

• moves
• twitches
• squirms
• stirs
• fidgets
• locomotes
• wiggles
• budges
• tosses
• writhes
• jiggles
• fiddles
• wriggles
• rouses
• squiggles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• freezes
• remains
• stays
• stills
• hangs around
• stabilizes
• sticks around
• tarries

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

• changes
• varies
• fluctuates
• morphs
• mutates
• snaps
• improves
• transmutes
• deteriorates
• metamorphoses
• turns around
• worsens
• vacillates
• wavers
• betters
• seesaws
• teeters

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stabilizes
• plateaus

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

• swaps
• exchanges
• changes
• trades
• substitutes
• switches
• replaces
• commutes
• supersedes
• interchanges
• displaces
• yields
• cedes
• surrenders
• reciprocates
• hands over

5

as in copes

to meet one's day-to-day needs

left the others to shift for themselves

Synonyms & Similar Words

• copes
• does
• manages
• survives
• fares
• makes shift
• gets along
• gets by
• gets on
• makes ends meet
• makes out
• affords
• makes do
• scrounges
• fends for oneself
• carries on
• contrives
• scrapes (by or through)
• lasts
• squeezes
• scrapes (out)
• ekes out
• swings
• wrests
• wrings

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• collapses
• fails
• falls short
• declines
• wanes
• slumps
• flounders
• fizzles
• gives up
• peters (out)

shifts

2 of 2

noun

plural of shift

1

as in means

an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result

desperate shifts to stave off financial disaster

Synonyms & Similar Words

• means
• measures
• moves
• steps
• efforts
• resources
• things
• attempts
• actions
• activities
• procedures
• acts
• processes
• initiatives
• expedients
• dealings
• works
• goes
• tries
• operations
• feats
• projects
• doings
• proceedings
• proposals
• events
• deeds
• coups
• successes
• passes
• accomplishments
• cracks
• enterprises
• triumphs
• exploits
• pains
• endeavors
• courses
• exertions
• achievements
• affairs
• attainments
• troubles
• undertakings
• propositions
• essays
• businesses
• stabs
• trials
• countermeasures
• labors
• resorts
• flings
• whacks
• shots
• whiles
• countermoves
• countersteps
• makeshifts
• stopgaps

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

• moves
• movements
• motions
• stirrings
• stirs
• migrations
• relocations
• dislocations
• squirms
• mobilities
• locomotions
• motilities
• motivities
• fiddlings

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inertias
• stops
• immobilities
• pauses
• lapses
• finishes
• stoppages
• shutdowns
• terminations
• endings
• halts
• discontinuances
• expirations
• cessations
• shutoffs
• surceases

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shifts

Verb

Their goal was for the album to tell a story of radicalization, following a protagonist who shifts from complacency to an awareness of injustice and institutional oppression, and ultimately resolves to act against it. — Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026

This then shifts the star’s color away from the more typical orange, white, and blue. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026

The approach shifts the timing mechanism from electrons to the atomic nucleus. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026

El Niño also shifts rainfall patterns globally, raising the chances for destructive flooding in some parts of the world. — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026

Rarely anyone shifts the relationship to eventually sit down and ask attendees for their best gift. — Sherry Quam Taylor, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

The evolution of strategies can lead to stable populations, bistable populations (where the population flips between two stable strategies), or limit cycles, where the population shifts continuously among multiple strategies. — Chris Lee, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

Try meeting their needs first and see if their behavior shifts. — Juli Fraga, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2026

Translation is a mutation of language, but not direct replication; something happens in the process that shifts the direction of the ideas. — Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026

Noun

Oil market shifts to surplus despite disruptions Global oil markets have shifted to a supply surplus, despite months of disruption caused by the war in the Middle East. — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026

My Beloved is immediately reminiscent of similar shrewd shifts that Kings of Leon’s presumptive peers have undergone during the 2020s. — Larry Fitzmaurice, Pitchfork, 9 Nov. 2026

In the film, won Camerimage’s Golden Frog honor in 2007, the lens shifts sharply in and out of focus, blurring most of the field of vision while some details pop with intense clarity. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2026

During the training, leaders complete six shifts of hands-on shop training, sharpening their hospitality skills, perfecting drink orders, and learning how to deliver on the values of speed, quality and service. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2026

By Thursday, the pattern shifts and rain is once more possible, as an area of low pressure arrives from the west. — Tammie Souza, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026

The scientists suggest that besides late-night snacking, earlier bedtimes meant less screen time, exposure to artificial light, and biological shifts in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and the hormone ghrelin. — New Atlas, 7 Nov. 2026

Nugget is known for his very small stature, a fur pattern that looks like goggles around his eyes, and a reddish coat that shifts to black later in the summer. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2026

Surveys have repeatedly shown that Americans don't like the current clock changes, with lawmakers and physicians blaming the regular time shifts for drowsiness, inconveniences and even risks to health. — Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026