Check Dictionary

Find out more about word, its definitions etc.

Valid in these dictionaries

TWL/NWL (Scrabble US/CA/TH)
SOWPODS/CSW (Scrabble UK / ALL)
ENABLE (Words with Friends)

Meaning of shift

1 definition found

From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:

  shift
      n 1: an event in which something is displaced without rotation
           [syn: {shift}, {displacement}]
      2: a qualitative change [syn: {transformation}, {transmutation},
         {shift}]
      3: the time period during which you are at work [syn: {shift},
         {work shift}, {duty period}]
      4: the act of changing one thing or position for another; "his
         switch on abortion cost him the election" [syn: {switch},
         {switching}, {shift}]
      5: the act of moving from one place to another; "his constant
         shifting disrupted the class" [syn: {shift}, {shifting}]
      6: (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the
         displacement of one side with respect to the other; "they
         built it right over a geological fault"; "he studied the
         faulting of the earth's crust" [syn: {fault}, {faulting},
         {geological fault}, {shift}, {fracture}, {break}]
      7: a crew of workers who work for a specific period of time
      8: the key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-
         case letters to upper-case letters [syn: {shift key},
         {shift}]
      9: a woman's sleeveless undergarment [syn: {chemise}, {shimmy},
         {shift}, {slip}, {teddy}]
      10: a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders
          without a waist [syn: {chemise}, {sack}, {shift}]
      v 1: make a shift in or exchange of; "First Joe led; then we
           switched" [syn: {switch}, {change over}, {shift}]
      2: change place or direction; "Shift one's position" [syn:
         {shift}, {dislodge}, {reposition}]
      3: move around; "transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to
         a pocket in his jacket" [syn: {transfer}, {shift}]
      4: move very slightly; "He shifted in his seat" [syn: {stir},
         {shift}, {budge}, {agitate}]
      5: move from one setting or context to another; "shift the
         emphasis"; "shift one's attention"
      6: change in quality; "His tone shifted"
      7: move and exchange for another; "shift the date for our class
         reunion"
      8: move sideways or in an unsteady way; "The ship careened out
         of control" [syn: {careen}, {wobble}, {shift}, {tilt}]
      9: move abruptly; "The ship suddenly lurched to the left" [syn:
         {lurch}, {pitch}, {shift}]
      10: use a shift key on a keyboard; "She could not shift so all
          her letters are written in lower case"
      11: change phonetically as part of a systematic historical
          change; "Grimm showed how the consonants shifted"
      12: change gears; "you have to shift when you go down a steep
          hill"
      13: lay aside, abandon, or leave for another; "switch to a
          different brand of beer"; "She switched psychiatrists"; "The
          car changed lanes" [syn: {switch}, {shift}, {change}]

Source : WordNet ® Princeton University. 2010.

Use this dictionary checker to learn more about a word - find out its meaning and also make sure whether that word is a valid word in any of these dictionaries (used by popular word games). Here is the list of dictionaries it checks for :

OCTWL / TWL : The official dictionary for scrabble game in United States, Canada and Thailand.
SOWPODS / CSW : UK and the rest of the world uses this dictionary for various word games including scrabble.
ENABLE - This is the default dictionary for Words with Friends.

The dictionary checker is also good at solving any issue with a disputed word when you're playing scramble games gainst your friends or family members. As a bonus, you also learn new words while having fun!

Back to Word Unscrambler