SHIFT
What does "SHIFT" mean?
To move or cause to move from one position, place, or direction to another.
Meanings
- To move or change position, often slightly. He shifted in his chair, unable to get comfortable.
- To change gear in a vehicle. She shifted into third as the road began to climb.
- A scheduled period of work. He picked up an extra night shift to cover the rent.
- A change or transition from one state, opinion, or trend to another. There has been a major shift in public opinion since the trial.
- A loose, straight, sleeveless dress; historically a woman's plain undergarment. She wore a simple linen shift to the garden party.
Did you know?
- The 'Shift' key is named for a real movement: on early typewriters it physically lifted (shifted) the type bars or the carriage so each key could strike its capital letter instead of its lowercase one.
Word origin
From Old English 'sciftan' meaning to arrange, divide, or order, from Proto-Germanic '*skiftijan'; the sense of 'change position' developed in Middle English.
Remember it
SHIFT = SH + LIFT minus the L: pressing Shift 'lifts' your letters into capitals.
A little poem
The whole machine of the day stays the same-
one gear shifts, and nothing answers to its old name.
couplet
Wordplay
- I worked the night shift at the keyboard factory. It really pushed my buttons.
What it teaches
Change rarely arrives as an overhaul; most of life turns on a single quiet shift in position.
Quick facts
What does SHIFT mean?
To move or cause to move from one position, place, or direction to another.
Is SHIFT a valid word?
Yes — SHIFT is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is SHIFT?
SHIFT has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does SHIFT come from?
From Old English 'sciftan' meaning to arrange, divide, or order, from Proto-Germanic '*skiftijan'; the sense of 'change position' developed in Middle English.
What can SHIFT teach us?
Change rarely arrives as an overhaul; most of life turns on a single quiet shift in position.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.