shifter
(redirected from shifters)Also found in: Thesaurus.
shift
(shĭft)v. shift·ed, shift·ing, shifts
v.tr.
1. To exchange (one thing) for another of the same class: shifted assignments among the students.
2. To move or transfer from one place or position to another.
3. To alter (position or place).
4. To change (gears), as in an automobile.
5. Linguistics To alter phonetically as part of a systematic historical change.
v.intr.
1. To change position, direction, place, or form.
2.
a. To provide for one's own needs; get along: "See me safe up: for my coming down, I can shift for myself" (Thomas More).
b. To get along by tricky or evasive means.
3. To change gears, as when driving an automobile.
4. Linguistics To be altered as part of a systematic historical change. Used of speech sounds.
5. To use a shift key.
n.
1. A change from one person or configuration to another; a substitution.
2.
a. A group of workers that relieve another on a regular schedule.
b. The working period of such a group: worked the night shift.
3.
a. A means to an end; an expedient.
b. A stratagem; a trick.
4. A change in direction: a shift in the wind.
5. A change in attitude, judgment, or emphasis.
6. A change in position, as:
a. Music A change of the hand position in playing the violin or a similar instrument.
b. Football A rearrangement of players from one formation to another just prior to the snap of the ball.
c. Baseball A rearrangement of one or more fielders for improved defense against a particular hitter.
d. Geology See fault.
e. Computers Movement of characters in a register to the left or right, as of the bits in a byte.
7. The act or an instance of using a shift key.
8. Physics A change in wavelength, causing a movement of a spectral band or line.
9. Linguistics
a. A systematic change of the phonetic or phonemic structure of a language.
b. Functional shift.
10.
a. A loosely fitting dress that hangs straight from the shoulder; a chemise.
b. A woman's undergarment; a slip or chemise.
[Middle English shiften, from Old English sciftan, to arrange, divide.]
shift′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  shifter - a stagehand responsible for moving scenerystage technician, stagehand - an employee of a theater who performs work involved in putting on a theatrical production |
| 2. |  shifter - a mechanical device for engaging and disengaging gears; "in Britain they call a gearshift a gear lever"mechanical device - mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles automotive vehicle, motor vehicle - a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not run on rails |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
shifter
n
(Theat) → Kulissenschieber(in) m(f)
(US Aut, bicycle) → Schalthebel m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007