shift 1 S3 W3 AC / ʃɪft / 动词

1 move

a) [不及物和及物动词] to move from one place or position to another, or make something do this :

Joe listened, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another.

She shifted her gaze from me to Bobby.

b) [及物动词] British English informal to move something, especially by picking it up and carrying it :

Give me a hand to shift these chairs.

2 change attention [及物动词] to change a situation, discussion etc by giving special attention to one idea or subject instead of to a previous one

shift something away/onto/from etc

The White House hopes to shift the media’s attention away from foreign policy issues.

attention/emphasis/focus shifts

In this stage of a rape case, the focus often shifts onto the victim and her conduct.

shift gear American English (= change what you are doing )

It’s hard to shift gear when you come home after a busy day at work.

3 change opinion [不及物和及物动词] if someone’s opinions, beliefs etc shift, they change :

Public opinion was beginning to shift to the right (= become more right-wing ) .

shifting attitudes towards marriage

He refused to shift his ground (= change his opinion ) .

4 shift the blame/responsibility (onto somebody) to make someone else responsible for something, especially for something bad that has happened :

It was a clear attempt to shift the responsibility for the crime onto the victim.

5 costs/spending [ transitive always + 副词 / 介词 ] to change the way that money is paid or spent 同义词 direct :

the need to shift more resources towards reducing poverty

6 dirt/marks [及物动词] British English to remove dirt or marks from a surface or piece of clothing :

a new washing powder that will shift any stain

7 in a car [不及物和及物动词] especially American English to change the gear s when you are driving 同义词 change British English :

I shifted into second gear.

8 sell [及物动词] British English informal to sell a product, especially a lot of it :

The store shifted over 1,000 copies of the book last week.