shifted

verb

past tense of shift
1
as in relocated
to change the place or position of he shifted the vase closer to the wall so that it wouldn't get knocked over

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in moved
to change one's position she shifted uncomfortably in her seat throughout the interview

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in changed
to pass from one form, state, or level to another she watched the aurora in fascination as its colors shifted from green to blue

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in exchanged
to give up (something) and take something else in return my brother and I shifted seats just before takeoff so that he could sit by the window

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in coped
to meet one's day-to-day needs left the others to shift for themselves

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shifted The Cook Political Report recently shifted Texas into its toss-up category, from a race considered to lean Republican. — Cory Smith, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2026 From their second year onward, the prizes shifted their focus to unusual but authentic research, both in response to criticism and to establish greater credibility. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026 Monthly sales at Poppy Rose have climbed from roughly $30,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars since the business shifted from Etsy to TikTok Shop and adopted print-on-demand. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026 Luminate reports that Around the Fur shifted 10,650 equivalent units in the most recent tracking period. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Since seizing power, Tiani’s government has shifted away from Western partners, deepened ties with Russia and broken with the regional ECOWAS bloc, joining Mali and Burkina Faso to form the breakaway AES bloc. — Reuters, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026 The electoral landscape in the state has shifted since 2018, when voters last weighed in on open races for all of the top statewide offices of governor, attorney general and secretary of state. — Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Buehler reflects Most of Walker Buehler’s public commentary has shifted in recent weeks toward his role in helping the Padres make a playoff run. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026 From booster to skeptic Abbott’s tone has shifted markedly since data center proposals began drawing organized resistance in towns from Abilene to Sulphur Springs. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shifted
  1. relocated
  2. moved
  3. changed
  4. exchanged
  5. coped
  6. removed
  7. twitched
  8. varied
Verb
  • Mining activity beneath the old center has required large parts of Kiruna to be relocated.
    — David Nikel, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Food spoiled during the outage, and the family temporarily relocated to Lucky’s mother’s home.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of relocated
Verb
  • Cameron moved up to the division earlier this year and defeated Michaela Kotaskova by unanimous decision in April to claim the vacant WBO title and become a two-weight world champion.
    — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Ragged, jagged or fluffy edges point to a Bristol Type 6 stool, meaning waste moved through the colon too fast for water to be absorbed properly.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of moved
Verb
  • That has changed quietly, with robots now performing important roles in operating rooms, hospital wards, rehabilitation centers, and corridors around the world.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Tehran’s own understanding of deterrence has also changed over the course of the war.
    — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of changed
Verb
  • Bucci went there and quickly discovered that enthusiasm could be exchanged for access.
    — Gemma Redrup, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Davis exchanged vows with Goldblum in 1987 after meeting him on the set of Transylvania 6-5000 two years prior.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of exchanged
Verb
  • For one thing, millennials have coped with a lot of instability and uncertainty in their formative years.
    — Adia Harvey Wingfield, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Once out and about, moonwalkers coped with very fine, tiny particles composed of sharp, glassy material.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of coped
Verb
  • But Boone removed him from the lineup before the top of the fourth, shifting José Caballero to shortstop and bringing in Amed Rosario to play third base.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • That arrest came roughly one-and-a-half-years removed from Cleveland being arrested for DUI.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of removed
Verb
  • Many a club’s board would have twitched in the face of the bare data, but the chain of command above Arteta stayed the course, and the FOMO is so high that tickets for Palace away this weekend are going for £45,000 ($60,000) on resale sites.
    — Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 May 2026
  • My jaw twitched uncontrollably.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
Definition of twitched
Verb
  • The narrative is punctuated by prose-poems about the water conditions during her swims, which varied enormously from day to day and month to month, sometimes exquisite, sometimes terrifying.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
  • How far back that recovery can reach has varied from case to case.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of varied

Browse Nearby Words

shift
shifted
shiftily
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Cite this Entry

“Shifted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shifted. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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