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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in means
an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result
desperate shifts to stave off financial disaster
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
As the event serves as a global stage for elite athletes, attention also shifts to the evolution of the sport.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Gomes then shifts the action to a retrospective vision of the man’s life there, a lusty adventure in a tropical climate that gives rise to personal and political violence.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
Using inboard suspension from Canadian company Multimatic also shifts weight closer to the car’s center line and cuts air turbulence around the wheel arches.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 6 Aug. 2025
That money shifts college sports even further away from purity and closer to payola.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
In an article for Harvard Business Review, Allison Shapira explored how post-pandemic shifts have challenged conventional wardrobe norms.
—Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
The data doesn't fully explain if these shifts are temporary or permanent.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Swift’s zigs and zags were well timed for cultural and technological shifts that were dissolving the very meaning of pop.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Our role as a retailer is to translate these shifts into experiences and assortments that resonate with how our customers live, work and express themselves.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Acclimating to heat can prompt physiological shifts, including an increase in blood volume, an increase in sweat volume, and potential shifts in how efficiently your blood vessels respond to those alterations in volume and stress.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025
For at least the next few weeks until a CDC committee weighs in with more detail, and as the policy shifts are absorbed, the confusion may also impact access for older, higher-risk people.
—Will McDuffie, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025
The shifts the events in China represented did not happen overnight.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
That realization shifts everything.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
As the event serves as a global stage for elite athletes, attention also shifts to the evolution of the sport.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Gomes then shifts the action to a retrospective vision of the man’s life there, a lusty adventure in a tropical climate that gives rise to personal and political violence.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
Using inboard suspension from Canadian company Multimatic also shifts weight closer to the car’s center line and cuts air turbulence around the wheel arches.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 6 Aug. 2025
That money shifts college sports even further away from purity and closer to payola.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
Yet, bizarrely, the TV show undercuts this angle by inventing a serial killer nurse from whole cloth, a move that shifts the blame away from systemic forces and toward a motiveless scoundrel.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
In an article for Harvard Business Review, Allison Shapira explored how post-pandemic shifts have challenged conventional wardrobe norms.
—Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
The data doesn't fully explain if these shifts are temporary or permanent.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Swift’s zigs and zags were well timed for cultural and technological shifts that were dissolving the very meaning of pop.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Our role as a retailer is to translate these shifts into experiences and assortments that resonate with how our customers live, work and express themselves.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Acclimating to heat can prompt physiological shifts, including an increase in blood volume, an increase in sweat volume, and potential shifts in how efficiently your blood vessels respond to those alterations in volume and stress.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025
For at least the next few weeks until a CDC committee weighs in with more detail, and as the policy shifts are absorbed, the confusion may also impact access for older, higher-risk people.
—Will McDuffie, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025
The shifts the events in China represented did not happen overnight.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shifts
Verb
-
The job market moves quickly, and preparation is your competitive advantage.—
Johnny C. Taylor Jr,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The all-new Habiton lives and sleeps larger than its footprint thanks an entire room that actually moves back and forth.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Sep. 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
-
Beyond sports-specific performance metrics, biomechanics research has long shown that altering the properties of playing surfaces changes muscle stiffness, joint loading and range of motion.—
Michael Hales,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Her life begins to unravel when Daniel brings home Cherry (Cooke), a girlfriend who changes everything.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This is an unprecedented move that effectively swaps subsidies for ownership.—
Michael Cannivet,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
Future Store swaps identities without moving a brick.—
Bob Bonniol,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Healing does not look the same for everyone, and the way each person copes with distress can vary greatly.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
The help is needed and appreciated as the family still copes.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
With complete antiballistic missile means, China can significantly contain the enemy's strategic strike capabilities, which is of great significance.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
-
His or her voice is the means by which the author’s work is bodied forth, and is the main channel along which thought and feeling are to flow.—
Adam Verner
September 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This was a far cry from a year ago, when Muchová and Osaka played each other in the second round and Muchová plotted Osaka’s movements around the court for her, opening up space, then using her touch to drop the ball into it.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Just six months ago, Mako could not be touched on his face without showing his teeth and would react to any abrupt hand movements.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
So the idea is that, when Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office closes, Enervate relocates Oscar to its Toledo newspaper.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
-
In the first episode, the family relocates to the Hamptons for the summer as Alec prepares for the criminal trial in New Mexico.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shifts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shifts. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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