shift noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of shift noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

shift

noun
 
/ʃɪft/
 
/ʃɪft/
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    period of work

  1. [countable] a period of time worked by a group of workers who start work as another group finishes
    • to work a shift
    • I've just finished an eight-hour shift.
    • in shifts working in shifts
    • on a shift to be on the day/night shift at the factory
    • shift workers/work
    Collocations JobsJobsGetting a job
    • look for work
    • look for/​apply for/​go for a job
    • get/​pick up/​complete/​fill out/ (British English) fill in an application (form)
    • send/​email your (British English) CV/(North American English) résumé/application/​application form/​covering letter
    • be called for/​have/​attend an interview
    • offer somebody a job/​work/​employment/​promotion
    • find/​get/​land a job
    • employ/ (especially North American English) hire/​recruit/ (especially British English) take on staff/​workers/​trainees
    • recruit/​appoint a manager
    Doing a job
    • arrive at/​get to/​leave work/​the office/​the factory
    • start/​finish work/​your shift
    • do/​put in/​work overtime
    • have/​gain/​get/​lack/​need experience/​qualifications
    • do/​get/​have/​receive training
    • learn/​pick up/​improve/​develop (your) skills
    • cope with/​manage/​share/​spread the workload
    • improve your/​achieve a better work-life balance
    • have (no) job satisfaction/​job security
    Building a career
    • have a job/​work/​a career/​a vocation
    • find/​follow/​pursue/ (especially North American English) live (out) your vocation
    • enter/​go into/​join a profession
    • choose/​embark on/​start/​begin/​pursue a career
    • change jobs/​profession/​career
    • be/ (both especially British English) work/​go freelance
    • do/​take on temp work/​freelance work
    • do/​be engaged in/​be involved in voluntary work
    Leaving your job
    • leave/ (especially North American English) quit/​resign from your job
    • give up work/​your job/​your career
    • hand in your notice/​resignation
    • plan to/​be due to retire in June/​next year, etc.
    • take early retirement
    see also graveyard shift, night shift, split shift, swing shift
    Extra Examples
    • He works the night shift.
    • I agreed to work double shifts for a few weeks.
    • I didn't realize that I'd have to work shifts.
    • I'm doing the early shift this week.
    • It was 8 a.m. and the nurses were changing shifts.
    • My wife changed her shifts from afternoons to nights.
    • The clinic is staffed by ten doctors who work in shifts.
    • The shift change took place at 10 p.m.
    • They'd altered his shift pattern twice in the past fortnight.
    Topics Businessb1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • double
    • long
    • split
    verb + shift
    • do
    • work
    • be on
    shift + verb
    • begin
    • start
    • end
    shift + noun
    • work
    • manager
    • supervisor
    preposition
    • in shifts
    • on a/​the shift
    See full entry
  2. [countable + singular or plural verb] the workers who work a particular shift
    • The night shift has/have just come off duty.
    Extra Examples
    • The drama began at 5.15 am as the day shift was going on duty.
    • Most of the night shift had already left.
    • As I left the next shift was settling in for the day.
  3. change

  4. [countable] a change in opinion, mood, policy, etc.
    • The minister's recent announcement represents a major policy shift.
    • a sudden shift to the right in British politics
    • shift in something Does the government's condemnation of the regime signal a shift in policy?
    • a dramatic shift in public opinion
    • The moment marked a significant shift in attitudes to the war.
    • Over the last ten years there has been a fundamental shift in the way we do business.
    • shift of something a shift of emphasis
    • With the shift of power in the Senate, the bill's fate is in doubt.
    • shift towards something A gradual shift towards renewable energy would mean reduced carbon emissions.
    • shift from something to something In developed countries there has been a shift from manufacturing to services.
    see also paradigm shift
    Extra Examples
    • There was a gradual shift in the population away from the countryside to the towns.
    • I detected a subtle shift towards our point of view.
    • The industry has undergone a fundamental shift in recent years.
    • The moment marked a significant shift in attitudes to the war.
    • There has been a major shift in the public's taste.
    • These climate shifts occurred over less than a decade.
    • These proposals represent a dramatic shift in policy.
    • a shift towards part-time farming
    • the shift away from direct taxation
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • distinct
    • dramatic
    • fundamental
    verb + shift
    • be
    • mark
    • represent
    shift + verb
    • occur
    • take place
    preposition
    • shift between
    • shift (away) from
    • shift in
    See full entry
  5. on computer

  6. [uncountable]
    (also shift key [singular])
    the system on a computer keyboard or typewriter that allows capital letters or a different set of characters to be typed; the key that operates this systemTopics Computersc2
  7. clothing

  8. [countable] a simple straight dress
  9. [countable] a simple straight piece of clothing worn by women in the past as underwear
  10. see also Doppler shift, sound shift, stick shift
See shift in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee shift in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
influence
verb
 
 
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