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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in means
an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result
desperate shifts to stave off financial disaster
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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
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
The camera then shifts to show the coin is not alone on the train rail.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
The transmission generally shifts smoothly, but there’s such a racket from that transaxle and limited-slip differential, not to mention a huge amount of road noise coming up through the suspension, that any conversation will sound more like a shouting match out of necessity.
—Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2025
The tern is in pursuit of the sun as it shifts over the Earth with the change in the seasons.
—Kate Siber, Outside, 21 Oct. 2025
In the first half of Brag Ingelsby’s series follow-up to Mare of Easttown, Grasso is a slick operator who shifts between tough-guy posturing and a besotted romance with new colleague Lizzie (Alison Oliver).
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Separately, Aramco has put three domestic chemicals plants on hold as it shifts capital spending toward expansion in Asia, Bloomberg reported.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
But every once in a while, someone shifts your entire perspective.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
This can manifest into a heated online debate or a friend revealing something that completely shifts your perception of them.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
These patterns often reveal shifts in media consumption, e-commerce, and social engagement in clear, sometimes unexpected ways.
—William Jones, IndyStar, 6 Nov. 2025
For seniors, the challenge shifts from access to maintenance.
—Sixteen Ramos, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
The most pivotal shifts in my life didn’t happen when things were going smoothly.
—Victoria Chynoweth, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
And therefore leaders need a detailed and nuanced understanding to plot a path forward—especially as innovation, geopolitics, policy shifts, and energy demand from data enters reshape the energy landscape.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
The Congressional Budget Office in January estimated outlays of more than $100 billion for the program in 2025, though the actual spending this year is uncertain due to recent budget shifts and the ongoing government shutdown.
—Rachel Barber, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Soft power that hardens into partnerships, pipelines, and actual policy shifts.
—Essence, 6 Nov. 2025
But how the promptly dismissed Guiteau shifts into a Cousteau worth defending is more than a matter of counting the whiskeys Arthur consumes.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
Because external conditions constantly change during flight, the wing’s resonance frequency also shifts.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
The camera then shifts to show the coin is not alone on the train rail.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
The transmission generally shifts smoothly, but there’s such a racket from that transaxle and limited-slip differential, not to mention a huge amount of road noise coming up through the suspension, that any conversation will sound more like a shouting match out of necessity.
—Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2025
The tern is in pursuit of the sun as it shifts over the Earth with the change in the seasons.
—Kate Siber, Outside, 21 Oct. 2025
In the first half of Brag Ingelsby’s series follow-up to Mare of Easttown, Grasso is a slick operator who shifts between tough-guy posturing and a besotted romance with new colleague Lizzie (Alison Oliver).
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Separately, Aramco has put three domestic chemicals plants on hold as it shifts capital spending toward expansion in Asia, Bloomberg reported.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
But every once in a while, someone shifts your entire perspective.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
This can manifest into a heated online debate or a friend revealing something that completely shifts your perception of them.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
Airline industry leaders, unions and government officials have voiced concerns about the strain on vital employees like air traffic controllers, who are working without pay and increasingly unable to maintain regular shifts.
—Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
These patterns often reveal shifts in media consumption, e-commerce, and social engagement in clear, sometimes unexpected ways.
—William Jones, IndyStar, 6 Nov. 2025
For seniors, the challenge shifts from access to maintenance.
—Sixteen Ramos, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
The most pivotal shifts in my life didn’t happen when things were going smoothly.
—Victoria Chynoweth, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
And therefore leaders need a detailed and nuanced understanding to plot a path forward—especially as innovation, geopolitics, policy shifts, and energy demand from data enters reshape the energy landscape.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
The Congressional Budget Office in January estimated outlays of more than $100 billion for the program in 2025, though the actual spending this year is uncertain due to recent budget shifts and the ongoing government shutdown.
—Rachel Barber, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Soft power that hardens into partnerships, pipelines, and actual policy shifts.
—Essence, 6 Nov. 2025
But how the promptly dismissed Guiteau shifts into a Cousteau worth defending is more than a matter of counting the whiskeys Arthur consumes.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shifts
Verb
-
The four-meter-wide telescope can detect faint shifts in light that reveal how plasma moves through the corona, allowing scientists to see the sun in unprecedented detail.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
4 Nov. 2025
-
As such, this is a program that will be very interesting to see develop over the coming years and one that the Russian Navy's key adversaries will be watching very closely, as this weapon moves toward operational capability.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Expect busier days filled with writing, planning or maybe a conversation that changes everything.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
-
When the steer changes directions, the heeler (right) ropes the back feet.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Yankee Candle Home Sweet Home Large Jar Candle Right around the first week of November every year, my mom swaps her light, clean scents for Yankee Candle's Home Sweet Home, which is one of her favorites.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Walmart has three other 1-click holiday meal baskets including a Balanced Thanksgiving higher-protein meal that swaps some items from the standard meal deal, a Gluten-free Thanksgiving meal, and a Prime Rib meal basket.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The 10-2 vote in favor of the easier policy came as the Fed copes with an absence of timely economic data due to the four-week-old government shutdown.—
Sean Conlon,Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Unlike other forms of stress, exercise stress is a good thing, because the body copes with it in a positive way.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The problem is that the objective optimized by the algorithm is good for the people who control the means of prediction…but not good for the rest of society.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Then Vice President Cheney condemned those behind the torture scandal, while at the same time defending water-boarding as a useful means of extracting vital intelligence (many intelligence experts say water-boarding is torture, and its victims will say anything to avoid further abuse).—
Ben Wedeman,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Yet even among a number of Christians seeking to raise awareness and intensify efforts to put an end to systematic abuses committed by Boko Haram and other jihadi movements, the prospect of foreign intervention raises serious concerns.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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The findings reveal unexpected plasma flows and magnetic field movements that may reshape current understanding of how the Sun’s magnetic cycle operates.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
His character relocates from NYC to Boston in the series, and Sonequa Martin-Green is his new partner, Lena Silver.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The novel follows Cecilia Chen, a wife and mother who reluctantly relocates from Paris to Los Angeles for her husband’s work with their two children in tow.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shifts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shifts. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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