Grope vs. Shift — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Grope and Shift
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Compare with Definitions
Grope
To reach about uncertainly; feel one's way
Groped for the telephone.
Shift
Move or cause to move from one place to another, especially over a small distance
A team from the power company came to shift the cables away from the house
The roof cracked and shifted
Grope
To search blindly or uncertainly
Grope for an answer.
Shift
Change gear in a vehicle
She shifted down to fourth
Grope
To make (one's way) by reaching about uncertainly.
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Shift
Be evasive or indirect
They know not how to shift and rob as the old ones do
Grope
(Slang) To handle or fondle for sexual pleasure.
Shift
A slight change in position, direction, or tendency
A shift in public opinion
Grope
The act or an instance of groping.
Shift
Each of two or more recurring periods in which different groups of workers do the same jobs in relay
Anne was on the night shift
Grope
(obsolete) To feel with or use the hands; to handle.
Shift
A woman's straight unwaisted dress.
Grope
To search or attempt to find something in the dark, or, as a blind person, by feeling; to move about hesitatingly, as in darkness or obscurity; to feel one's way, as with the hands, when one can not see.
Shift
An ingenious or devious device or stratagem
The thousand shifts and devices of which Hannibal was a master
Grope
To touch (another person) closely and (especially) sexually.
The parents found the couple kissing and groping.
Shift
To exchange (one thing) for another of the same class
Shifted assignments among the students.
Grope
To intentionally and inappropriately touch or rub against another person, in such a manner as to make the contact appear accidental, for the purpose of one's sexual gratification.
That old man groped that girl on the train!
Shift
To move or transfer from one place or position to another.
Grope
(obsolete) To examine; to test; to sound.
Shift
To alter (position or place).
Grope
(informal) An act of groping, especially sexually.
The old man tried to get a quick grope of the young lady on the train.
Shift
To change (gears), as in an automobile.
Grope
(obsolete) An iron fitting of a medieval cart wheel.
Shift
(Linguistics) To alter phonetically as part of a systematic historical change.
Grope
To feel with or use the hands; to handle.
Shift
To change position, direction, place, or form.
Grope
To search or attempt to find something in the dark, or, as a blind person, by feeling; to move about hesitatingly, as in darkness or obscurity; to feel one's way, as with the hands, when one can not see.
We grope for the wall like the blind.
To grope a little longer among the miseries and sensualities ot a worldly life.
Shift
To provide for one's own needs; get along
"See me safe up.
Grope
To search out by feeling in the dark; as, we groped our way at midnight.
Shift
To get along by tricky or evasive means.
Grope
To examine; to test; to sound.
Felix gropeth him, thinking to have a bribe.
Shift
To change gears, as when driving an automobile.
Grope
The act of groping; and instance of groping
Shift
(Linguistics) To be altered as part of a systematic historical change. Used of speech sounds.
Grope
Feel about uncertainly or blindly;
She groped for her glasses in the darkness of the bedroom
Shift
To use a shift key.
Grope
Search blindly or uncertainly;
His mind groped to make the connection
Shift
A change from one person or configuration to another; a substitution.
Grope
Fondle for sexual pleasure;
He made some sexual advances at the woman in his office and groped her repeatedly
Shift
A group of workers that relieve another on a regular schedule.
Shift
The working period of such a group
Worked the night shift.
Shift
A means to an end; an expedient.
Shift
A stratagem; a trick.
Shift
A change in direction
A shift in the wind.
Shift
A change in attitude, judgment, or emphasis.
Shift
(Music) A change of the hand position in playing the violin or a similar instrument.
Shift
(Football) A rearrangement of players from one formation to another just prior to the snap of the ball.
Shift
(Baseball) A rearrangement of one or more fielders for improved defense against a particular hitter.
Shift
(Geology) See fault.
Shift
(Computers) Movement of characters in a register to the left or right, as of the bits in a byte.
Shift
The act or an instance of using a shift key.
Shift
(Physics) A change in wavelength, causing a movement of a spectral band or line.
Shift
A systematic change of the phonetic or phonemic structure of a language.
Shift
Functional shift.
Shift
A loosely fitting dress that hangs straight from the shoulder; a chemise.
Shift
A woman's undergarment; a slip or chemise.
Shift
(historical) A type of women's undergarment of dress length worn under dresses or skirts, a slip or chemise.
Just last week she bought a new shift at the market.
Shift
A simple straight-hanging, loose-fitting dress.
Shift
A change of workers, now specifically a set group of workers or period of working time.
We'll work three shifts a day till the job's done.
Shift
An act of shifting; a slight movement or change.
There was a shift in the political atmosphere.
Shift
(US) The gear mechanism in a motor vehicle.
Does it come with a stick-shift?
Shift
Alternative spelling of Shift.
If you press shift-P, the preview display will change.
Shift
(computing) A control code or character used to change between different character sets.
Shift
(computing) An instance of the use of such a code or character.
Shift
(computing) A bit shift.
Shift
(baseball) An infield shift.
Teams often use a shift against this lefty.
Shift
The act of kissing passionately.
Shift
(archaic) A contrivance, a device to try when other methods fail.
Shift
(archaic) A trick, an artifice.
Shift
(construction) The extent, or arrangement, of the overlapping of plank, brick, stones, etc., that are placed in courses so as to break joints.
Shift
(mining) A breaking off and dislocation of a seam; a fault.
Shift
(genetics) A mutation in which the DNA or RNA from two different sources (such as viruses or bacteria) combine.
Shift
(music) In violin-playing, any position of the left hand except that nearest the nut.
Shift
A period of time in which one's consciousness resides in another reality, usually achieved through meditation or other means.
Shift
To move from one place to another; to redistribute.
We'll have to shift these boxes to the downtown office.
Shift
To change in form or character; swap.
Shift
(intransitive) To change position.
She shifted slightly in her seat.
His political stance shifted daily.
Shift
To change residence; to leave and live elsewhere.
We are shifting to America next month.
Shift
To change (clothes, especially underwear).
Shift
To change (someone's) clothes; sometimes specifically, to change underwear.
Shift
(intransitive) To change gears (in a car).
I crested the hill and shifted into fifth.
Shift
(typewriters) To move the keys of a typewriter over in order to type capital letters and special characters.
Shift
(computer keyboards) To switch to a character entry mode for capital letters and special characters.
Shift
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.
Shift
To remove the first value from an array.
Shift
(transitive) To dispose of.
How can I shift a grass stain?
Shift
(intransitive) To hurry; to move quickly.
If you shift, you might make the 2:19.
Shift
To engage in sexual petting.
Shift
(archaic) To resort to expedients for accomplishing a purpose; to contrive; to manage.
Shift
To practice indirect or evasive methods.
Shift
(music) In violin-playing, to move the left hand from its original position next to the nut.
Shift
To change the reality one's consciousness resides in through meditation or other means.
I finally shifted to Hogwarts last night!
Shift
To divide; to distribute; to apportion.
To which God of his bounty would shiftCrowns two of flowers well smelling.
Shift
To change the place of; to move or remove from one place to another; as, to shift a burden from one shoulder to another; to shift the blame.
Hastily he schifte him[self].
Pare saffron between the two St. Mary's days,Or set or go shift it that knowest the ways.
Shift
To change the position of; to alter the bearings of; to turn; as, to shift the helm or sails.
Carrying the oar loose, [they] shift it hither and thither at pleasure.
Shift
To exchange for another of the same class; to remove and to put some similar thing in its place; to change; as, to shift the clothes; to shift the scenes.
I would advise you to shift a shirt.
Shift
To change the clothing of; - used reflexively.
As it were to ride day and night; and . . . not to have patience to shift me.
Shift
To put off or out of the way by some expedient.
Shift the scene for half an hour;Time and place are in thy power.
Shift
To divide; to distribute.
Some this, some that, as that him liketh shift.
Shift
To make a change or changes; to change position; to move; to veer; to substitute one thing for another; - used in the various senses of the transitive verb.
The sixth age shiftsInto the lean and slippered pantaloon.
Here the Baillie shifted and fidgeted about in his seat.
Shift
To resort to expedients for accomplishing a purpose; to contrive; to manage.
Men in distress will look to themselves, and leave their companions to shift as well as they can.
Shift
To practice indirect or evasive methods.
All those schoolmen, though they were exceeding witty, yet better teach all their followers to shift, than to resolve by their distinctions.
Shift
To slip to one side of a ship, so as to destroy the equilibrum; - said of ballast or cargo; as, the cargo shifted.
Shift
The act of shifting.
My going to Oxford was not merely for shift of air.
I 'll find a thousand shifts to get away.
Little souls on little shifts rely.
Shift
Something frequently shifted; especially, a woman's under-garment; a chemise.
Shift
The change of one set of workmen for another; hence, a spell, or turn, of work; also, a set of workmen who work in turn with other sets; as, a night shift.
Shift
In building, the extent, or arrangement, of the overlapping of plank, brick, stones, etc., that are placed in courses so as to break joints.
Shift
A breaking off and dislocation of a seam; a fault.
Shift
A change of the position of the hand on the finger board, in playing the violin.
[They] made a shift to keep their own in Ireland.
Shift
An event in which something is displaced without rotation
Shift
A qualitative change
Shift
The time period during which you are at work
Shift
The act of changing one thing or position for another;
His switch on abortion cost him the election
Shift
The act of moving from one place to another;
His constant shifting disrupted the class
Shift
(geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other;
They built it right over a geological fault
Shift
A group of workers who work for a specific period of time
Shift
A woman's sleeveless undergarment
Shift
A loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist
Shift
Make a shift in or exchange of;
First Joe led; then we switched
Shift
Change place or direction;
Shift one's position
Shift
Move around;
Transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacket
Shift
Move very slightly;
He shifted in his seat
Shift
Move from one setting or context to another;
Shift the emphasis
Shift one's attention
Shift
Change in quality;
His tone shifted
Shift
Move and exchange for another;
Shift the date for our class reunion
Shift
Move sideways or in an unsteady way;
The ship careened out of control
Shift
Move abruptly;
The ship suddenly lurched to the left
Shift
Use a shift key on a keyboard;
She could not shift so all ther letters are written in lower case
Shift
Change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change;
Grimm showed how the consonants shifted
Shift
Change gears;
You have to shift when you go down a steep hill
Shift
Lay aside, abandon, or leave for another;
Switch to a different brand of beer
She switched psychiatrists
The car changed lanes
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