a)[intransitiveI, transitiveT]MOVE/CHANGE POSITIONMOVE something OR somebody to move from one place or position to another, or make something do this (使)移动,(使)转移
Joe listened, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another.
乔听着,不安地把重心从一只脚转移到另一只脚。
She shifted her gaze from me to Bobby.
她把目光从我身上移到博比身上。
b)[transitiveT]British EnglishBrE informalCARRY to move something, especially by picking it up and carrying it 移动;搬动
Give me a hand to shift these chairs.
帮我挪一挪这几把椅子。
2change attention 转移注意力 [transitiveT]ATTENTION to change a situation, discussion etc by giving special attention to one idea or subject instead of to a previous one 转移〔注意力等〕
shift something away/onto/from etc
The White House hopes to shift the media’s attention away from foreign policy issues.
白宫希望把媒体的注意力从外交政策问题上转移开。
attention/emphasis/focus shifts
In this stage of a rape case, the focus often shifts onto the victim and her conduct.
强奸案审理到这一阶段,焦点往往会转移到受害人以及她的行为上去。
shift gearAmerican EnglishAmE (=change what you are doing) 转换行为
It’s hard to shift gear when you come home after a busy day at work.
上班忙了一天回到家里很难回过神来。
3change opinion 改变观点 [intransitiveI, transitiveT]CHANGE YOUR MIND if someone’s opinions, beliefs etc shift, they change 转变;改变〔意见、信仰等〕
Public opinion was beginning to shift to the right (=become more right-wing).
公众舆论开始右倾。
shifting attitudes towards marriage
逐渐转变的婚姻观
He refused to shift his ground (=change his opinion).
他拒绝改变自己的立场。
4shift the blame/responsibility (onto somebody)RESPONSIBLEto make someone else responsible for something, especially for something bad that has happened 推卸责任(给某人)
It was a clear attempt to shift the responsibility for the crime onto the victim.
这显然是想把罪责推给受害者。
Examples from the Corpus
shift the blame/responsibility (onto somebody)• In other words that they were shifting the blame.• Penney also shifted the responsibilities and titles of several other executives in different regions.• He had to shift the blame, find a sacrificialvictim.• Her comments on RadioDerby came as Tories tried to shift the blame for Britain's economic ills elsewhere.• Time after time, ministers have tried to shift the blame for rising unemployment to the down-turn in the world economy.• It shifts the blame to belief.• A third means of avoiding responsibilityconsists of shifting the blame to even higher officials.• Leaving the abusivemarriage, or divorcing him, will be brandeddesertion or a sin, shifting the blame to her.
5costs/spending 费用/开支 [transitiveT always + adverbadv/prepositionprep]BF to change the way that money is paid or spent 改变〔钱的用途〕SYN direct
the need to shift more resources towards reducing poverty
把更多的财力转到减少贫困上去的需要
6dirt/marks 污垢/污迹 [transitiveT]British EnglishBrECLEANWASH to remove dirt or marks from a surface or piece of clothing 除去〔表面或衣服上的污迹〕
a new washing powder that will shift any stain
一种能洗掉任何污的新型洗衣粉
7in a car 在汽车里 [intransitiveI, transitiveT] especially American EnglishAmETTC to change the gears when you are driving 换(挡),调(挡)SYN British English change
I shifted into second gear.
我换到二挡。
8sell 销售 [transitiveT]British EnglishBrE informal to sell a product, especially a lot of it 〔尤指大量〕销售,出售
The store shifted over 1,000 copies of the book last week.
这本书上周在这家书店里售出了1,000多册。
Examples from the Corpus
shift• But if the expected rate of inflation changes then the Phillips curve will shift.• However, the bullet in Rocio brain is moving, shifting.• Bloodstains are very difficult to shift.• When are you going to shift all this rubbish? It's making the place look a real mess.• The planet as a whole will be moving with respect to the Earth, and this will shift all wavelengths in the pulse.• shiftingattitudes toward homosexuality• Investors were shiftingfunds from U.S. to Asianstocks.• She shifted her gaze from me to Bobby with a look of suspicion.• The leatherarmchaircreaked as Roberts shifted his bulk.• Tell Alan to shift his feet so Maggie can sit down.• The sofa is stuck in the doorway and I can't shift it.• There is a strong need to shift more resources toward health care.• It could also hurt the software industry, although companies working on the InternetBox say it would just shift software sales.• There's no point trying to shift the car by ourselves -- we'll have to get a truck to pull us out.• Come on Des, give me a hand to shift these and then we can go home.• I've washed the tablecloth three times, but I can't seem to shift these stains.• Notice also that the distribution is shifted to higher speeds at a higher temperature.• The text on the screen will shift to the left, some off the edge of the screen and out of view.• The sun had shifted to the west.• The building's foundation has shifted, which is why there are cracks in the plaster.
shift gear• Engines with good torque back-up handle a wide load changes without the need to shift gear.• He follows me on foot and tells me how to shift gears.• I just keep it spinning until it gets to a point where it's not making more power and then shift gears.• Would I be able to shift gears and be a gregarioushost?• She looked at the strong hand as it shifted gears and continued resting on the lever.• There's good torque for clean response and briskpick-up after shifting gear, but high-end engine output is nothing startling.• In the next few years the Supreme Court may shift gears or even reverse course.
shift ... ground• Among more radical monetarists and free marketeers there remains disappointment that the government had not done more to shift the middle ground.• That said, agreements must be reached, and all parties will need to shift their ground.• Only in the last respect has Anderson shifted his ground substantially.
shift ... stain• They seek her advice on how to shift stains without bleach and how to go green on a budget.
1CHANGE YOUR MINDa change in the way people think about something, in the way something is done etc 〔想法、做法等的〕改变,转变
shift from/to
the shift from one type of economic system to another
从一种经济体系向另一种经济体系的转变
shift in
an important shift in policy
政策上的重大改变
a marked shift (=noticeable change) in attitudes towards women
对女性态度的明显变化
2
a)BEJOB/WORKif workers in a factory, hospital etc work shifts, they work for a particular period of time during the day or night, and are then replaced by others, so that there are always people working 〔工厂、医院等轮班制中的〕当班时间
do/work a (10-/12-/24- etc hour) shift
Dave had to work a 12-hour shift yesterday.
戴夫昨天要上一个12小时的班。
I work shifts.
我轮班工作。
night/day etc shift
The thought of working night shifts put her off becoming a nurse.
想到要上夜班,她就打消了当护士的念头。
early/late shift
I’m on the early shift tomorrow.
明天我要上早班。
shift work/worker/working
people who do shift work
做轮班工作的人
A shift system has been introduced.
实行了轮班工作制。
b)WORKERGROUP OF PEOPLEthe workers who work during one of these periods 轮班工人
nCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: a change in the way people think about something, in the way something is done etc
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + shift
a big/major shift
There has recently been a big shift in the way people are accessing information.
a significant/marked shift (=big and noticeable)
There has been a significant shift in government policy on education.
a fundamental shift (=a complete change)
A fundamental shift in attitudes was underway.
a sudden shift
She immediately picked up his sudden shifts of mood.
a dramatic shift (=a big and sudden change)
Increased spending on the armed forces marks a dramatic shift in priorities.
a small/slight shift
There has been only a slight shift in income distribution.
a gradual shift
There has been a gradual shift in people’s attitudes towards cars.
a subtle shift (=a change which is small and not easy to notice)
Recently there has been a subtle shift in public opinion about the environment.
a policy shift
The policy shift was triggered by a sharp increase in violent crime.
a cultural shift
We all know there were cultural shifts in the 1960s that significantly changed our society.
verbs
mark/represent a shift
The idea represents a dramatic shift in health care policy.
cause/bring about a shift
The affair has brought about a shift in the government’s attitude towards immigration.
nCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2:
verbs
work a shift
They work quite long shifts.
do a shift
I did a 12-hour shift yesterday.
work in shifts
We had to work in shifts – four hours on and four off.
be on shift (=be working a shift)
He hardly sees the kids when he’s on shift.
be on the late/early/night etc shift (=be working a particular shift)
She’s on the late shift.
be on day/night shifts (=be working a series of day or night shifts)
He’s on night shifts all next week.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + shift
a night shift
She found it hard to stay awake during her night shifts at the factory.
a day shift
He’s going to be on day shifts for five days.
a morning/afternoon/evening shift
All the machines are cleaned at the end of every afternoon shift.
an early/late shift
Nobody wants to do the late shift.
a 12-hour/16-hour etc shift
We used to work eight-hour shifts.
the graveyard shift informal (=a shift that begins late at night or very early in the morning)
He chose to work the graveyard shift because the pay was slightly better.
a double shift (=when someone works two shifts one after the other)
He is only halfway through a 20-hour double shift.
shift + NOUN
shift work/working (=working shifts)
Does the job involve shift work?
a shift worker
The meetings are at different times so that shift workers have an opportunity to attend.
a shift system (=a system in which people work shifts)
A shift system was introduced in the department last year.
Examples from the Corpus
shift• The new emphasis on human rights was a shift away from the policies of Nixon.• There has been a big shift in attitudes towards sex during the past 50 years.• The circuit of a 2-bit shiftregister is shown in Fig. 18.• It required six technicians to operate it on each shift.• With the end of the medieval period, however, a gradualshift in viewpoint took place.• The great shift toward less fattybeef and more chicken is a great, heart-healthy move.• At Ellesmere Port a foreman and seven fitters run a 24 hour operation in two main shifts.• We've seen a marked shift in our approach to the social issues.• But what kind of shift is involved?• He is very worried about the shift towards free market thinking in EasternEurope.• Members of all three shifts were milling about the circular room: repeatingrumours, distorting facts and generally hyping themselves up.
shift from/to• A shift to the afternoons may end his nine-cups-of-coffee wake-up habit.• The orchestraswells and the canopyshifts to a subtleblue as its 2 million lights come alive.• If the question of control shifts fromproject planning to implementation, however, the federalrole appears to be greater.• The nature of competition has shifted from the war of all against all to competition between fluidnetworks of complementary companies.• a major shift frommanufacturing to service industries• The numbers shift to the left because the tab-align code is still in the text. 6.• Also practise the position shift from low to high and back.• The Boston economyexpanded rapidly during the 1970s and the shift from a manufacturing to a service base accelerated during that time.• Still, the shift fromslave to non-slave labour was striking.
do/work a (10-/12-/24- etc hour) shift• In the early 1950s Highlanderwork shifted to make educational programs on the civil rights issue its major priority.• Her husbandworked shifts so evening study would be difficult.• I am a nurseworking shifts and enjoyed, and needed, early nights and morning lie-ins.• Our 68 staffwork 12 hour shifts giving a 24 hour service.• People who do shift work often choose far longer hours than the basic hours that the Labour party would have them work.
From Longman Business Dictionary
shiftshift1 /ʃɪft/ noun [countableC]
1HUMAN RESOURCESone of the set periods of time during each day and night when a group of workers in a factory etc are at work before being replaced by another group of workers