shift

/ˈshift/

Middle English, from Old English sciftan to divide, arrange; akin to Old Norse skipa to arrange, assign

verb

  1. to exchange for or replace by another : change

  2. to change the place, position, or direction of : move

  3. to make a change in (place)

noun

  1. a means or device for effecting an end

  2. a deceitful or underhand scheme : dodge

  3. an effort or expedient exerted or tried in difficult circumstances : extremity

resource resort expedient shift makeshift stopgap mean something one turns to in the absence of the usual means or source of supply. resource and resort apply to anything one falls back upon. expedient may apply to any device or contrivance used when the usual one is not at hand or not possible.

noun

  1. a key on a keyboard that when pressed enables an alternate set of characters to be produced by the other keys