(sometimes figurative) To move from one place to another; to redistribute.
We'll have to shift these boxes to the downtown office.
To change in form or character; swap.
To change position.
His political stance shifted daily.
To change residence; to leave and live elsewhere.
We are shifting to America next month.
To change (clothes, especially underwear).
To change (someone's) clothes; sometimes specifically, to change underwear.
To change gears (in a car).
I crested the hill and shifted into fifth.
(typewriters) To move the keys of a typewriter over in order to type capital letters and special characters.
(computer keyboards) To switch to a character entry mode for capital letters and special characters.
To manipulate a binary number by moving all of its digits left or right; compare rotate.
Shifting 1001 to the left yields 10010; shifting it right yields 100.
To remove the first value from an array.
To dispose of.
How can I shift a grass stain?
To hurry.
If you shift, you might make the 2:19.
To engage in sexual petting.
To resort to expedients for accomplishing a purpose; to contrive; to manage.
To practice indirect or evasive methods.
In violin-playing, to move the left hand from its original position next to the nut.