Dictonary and Thesaurus

Definition of Shift

(v. t.) The act of shifting.
(v. t.) The act of putting one thing in the place of another, or of changing the place of a thing; change; substitution.
(v. t.) Something frequently shifted; especially, a woman's under-garment; a chemise.
(v. t.) The change of one set of workmen for another; hence, a spell, or turn, of work; also, a set of workmen who work in turn with other sets; as, a night shift.
(v. t.) In building, the extent, or arrangement, of the overlapping of plank, brick, stones, etc., that are placed in courses so as to break joints.
(v. t.) A breaking off and dislocation of a seam; a fault.
(v. t.) A change of the position of the hand on the finger board, in playing the violin.
(v. t.) To divide; to distribute; to apportion.
(v. t.) To change the place of; to move or remove from one place to another; as, to shift a burden from one shoulder to another; to shift the blame.
(v. t.) To change the position of; to alter the bearings of; to turn; as, to shift the helm or sails.
(v. t.) To exchange for another of the same class; to remove and to put some similar thing in its place; to change; as, to shift the clothes; to shift the scenes.
(v. t.) To change the clothing of; -- used reflexively.
(v. t.) To put off or out of the way by some expedient.