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
Leanna Renee Hieber, Big Think, 2 Oct. 2025
When the frame shifts up and over the reservoir’s edge, Copco 1 appears as a concrete colossus, standing sentry over the river naively burbling below.
—Anne Reeve, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
The 2024 law change is designed to trigger an off-ramp out of the criminal justice system for such defendants that shifts them into treatment and care, Johnson said.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2025
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
Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
At Sourcing Journal’s Fall Summit, executives from Flexport, OEC Group and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey unpacked what shifts in tariffs, consumption and carrier partnerships have meant for logistics this year.
—Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
Such findings defy the zero-sum formulations; indeed, Riofrancos argues, a path to zero emissions that depends on electrifying personal vehicles is the slowest path to that goal (albeit one that might not demand larger societal shifts).
—Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
As your shoulders slump, your head shifts forward, creating neck pain and stiffness.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Layoffs come during a lull in production as the facility shifts toward producing vehicles that are battery-operated or powered using internal combustion engines, such as the Chevrolet Bolt EV and the 2027 Chevrolet Equinox.
—Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2025
Yet Lupino brings such intensity and anger to her performance that the film’s register shifts into something far darker — so dark, in fact, that a prologue and epilogue Jack Warner insisted be added to make the movie more glamorous focus on a suicide attempt!
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2025
Trends observed include increases in hot extremes and extreme single-day precipitation events, declines in cold extremes, regional shifts in annual precipitation, warming of the Earth's oceans, a decrease in ocean pH, rising sea levels, and an increase in wildfire severity.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Sep. 2025
The throttle and steering are more responsive and shifts grow more aggressive.
—Mark Phelan, Freep.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
But the Dash does have an outsized history that shifts it out of the realm of poetry and folklore alone.
—Leanna Renee Hieber, Big Think, 2 Oct. 2025
When the frame shifts up and over the reservoir’s edge, Copco 1 appears as a concrete colossus, standing sentry over the river naively burbling below.
—Anne Reeve, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
The 2024 law change is designed to trigger an off-ramp out of the criminal justice system for such defendants that shifts them into treatment and care, Johnson said.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2025
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
Perhaps, for example, someone such as Sharp might be best suited reviewing power-play shifts with a scoring winger, considering his prowess in that area of the game as a player.
—Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
At Sourcing Journal’s Fall Summit, executives from Flexport, OEC Group and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey unpacked what shifts in tariffs, consumption and carrier partnerships have meant for logistics this year.
—Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
Such findings defy the zero-sum formulations; indeed, Riofrancos argues, a path to zero emissions that depends on electrifying personal vehicles is the slowest path to that goal (albeit one that might not demand larger societal shifts).
—Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
As your shoulders slump, your head shifts forward, creating neck pain and stiffness.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Layoffs come during a lull in production as the facility shifts toward producing vehicles that are battery-operated or powered using internal combustion engines, such as the Chevrolet Bolt EV and the 2027 Chevrolet Equinox.
—Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2025
Yet Lupino brings such intensity and anger to her performance that the film’s register shifts into something far darker — so dark, in fact, that a prologue and epilogue Jack Warner insisted be added to make the movie more glamorous focus on a suicide attempt!
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2025
Trends observed include increases in hot extremes and extreme single-day precipitation events, declines in cold extremes, regional shifts in annual precipitation, warming of the Earth's oceans, a decrease in ocean pH, rising sea levels, and an increase in wildfire severity.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Sep. 2025
The throttle and steering are more responsive and shifts grow more aggressive.
—Mark Phelan, Freep.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shifts
Verb
-
White and Clark have a strong foundation underneath them as the team moves into the future.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
This moves the email to your Spam folder and helps train AOL's filters.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 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
-
Unless something changes drastically at the top of the lineup, expect more of the same in 2025-26.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Little wonder that a philosopher who changes course invites surprise, suspicion, and sometimes the hostility of old friends.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Hoping to teach Arj a lesson about coming to terms with his own life, the well-meaning but naive Gabriel swaps Arj's life with that of Jeff's (Seth Rogen), a wealthy venture capitalist living large in a ritzy home high above the hills.—
Jessica Wang,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Gabriel swaps Arj and Jeff’s circumstances to show him that money alone won’t solve all his problems.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
That position of strength means, in the local media, the messaging can often be shaped to the club’s advantage.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Flax is known to promote good digestive health and prevent constipation, thanks to plenty of insoluble fiber and soluble fiber (both of which facilitate digestion and regular bowel movements through slightly different means).—
Christina Chaey,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The agency characterized the Chinese movements as an intrusion and accused China of undermining regional peace and stability.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
From the modernist, Black figuration of Kwami’s ceramics to Abban’s documentary portrayals of Ghanaian protest movements and architecture, these artists responded to the distinctive, pedestrian layers of postcolonial life.—
Edna Bonhomme,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The team is hosting games at Sutter Health Park, home of the minor-league Sacramento River Cats, during a temporary stay set to last through at least 2027 while the franchise relocates from Oakland to Las Vegas.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
20 Sep. 2025
-
As Lockjaw descends on them, the group relocates Bob and his daughter to California, gives them new names, and tells them to lie low.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shifts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shifts. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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