Attack and Shift

attack

Military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons. ()
- usage: "the attack began at dawn"
- synonyms: onslaught, onset, onrush
An offensive move in a sport or game.
- usage: "they won the game with a 10-hit attack in the 9th inning"
Intense adverse criticism.
- usage: "Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party"; "the government has come under attack"; "don't give me any flak"
- synonyms: fire, flak, flack, blast
Ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation.
- usage: "his approach to every problem is to draw up a list of pros and cons"; "an attack on inflation"; "his plan of attack was misguided"
- synonyms: approach, plan of attack
The act of attacking.
- usage: "attacks on women increased last year"; "they made an attempt on his life"
- synonyms: attempt
A decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase.
- synonyms: tone-beginning
A sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition.
- usage: "an attack of diarrhea"
The onset of a corrosive or destructive process (as by a chemical agent. )
- usage: "the film was sensitive to attack by acids"; "open to attack by the elements"
Strong criticism.
- usage: "he published an unexpected attack on my work"

Launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with.
- usage: "Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II"; "Serbian forces assailed Bosnian towns all week"
- synonyms: assail
Attack in speech or writing.
- usage: "The editors of the left-leaning paper attacked the new House Speaker"
- synonyms: round, assail, lash out, snipe, assault
Take the initiative and go on the offensive.
- usage: "The Serbs attacked the village at night"; "The visiting team started to attack"
- synonyms: aggress
Attack someone physically or emotionally.
- usage: "The mugger assaulted the woman"; "Nightmares assailed him regularly"
- synonyms: assail, assault, set on
Set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task.
- usage: "I attacked the problem as soon as I got out of bed"
Begin to injure.
- usage: "The cancer cells are attacking his liver"; "Rust is attacking the metal"

(n.) A setting to work upon some task, etc.
(v.t.) To begin to affect; to begin to act upon, injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.
(n.) An assault upon one's feelings or reputation with unfriendly or bitter words.
(v.t.) To assail with unfriendly speech or writing; to begin a controversy with; to attempt to overthrow or bring into disrepute, by criticism or satire; to censure; as, to attack a man or his opinions, in a pamphlet.
(v.t.) To fall upon with force; to assail, as with force and arms; to assault.
(v.t.) To set to work upon, as upon a task or problem or some object of labor or investigation.
(n.) The beginning of corrosive, decomposing or destructive action, by a chemical agent.
(n.) An access of disease; a fit of sickness.
(n.) The act of attacking or falling on with force or violence; an onset; an assault; -- opposed to defense.
(v.i.) To make an onset or attack.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

shift

An event in which something is displaced without rotation.
- synonyms: displacement
A qualitative change.
- synonyms: transformation, transmutation
The time period during which you are at work.
- synonyms: work shift, duty period
The act of changing one thing or position for another.
- usage: "his switch on abortion cost him the election"
- synonyms: switch, switching
The act of moving from one place to another.
- usage: "his constant shifting disrupted the class"
- synonyms: shifting
Geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other. (
- usage: "they built it right over a geological fault"; "he studied the faulting of the earth's crust"
- synonyms: fault, faulting, geological fault, fracture, break
A crew of workers who work for a specific period of time.
The key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-case letters to upper-case letters.
- synonyms: shift key
A woman's sleeveless undergarment.
- synonyms: chemise, shimmy, slip, teddy
A loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist.
- synonyms: chemise, sack

Make a shift in or exchange of.
- usage: "First Joe led; then we switched"
- synonyms: switch, change over
Change place or direction.
- usage: "Shift one's position"
- synonyms: dislodge, reposition
Move around.
- usage: "transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacket"
- synonyms: transfer
Move very slightly.
- usage: "He shifted in his seat"
- synonyms: stir, budge, agitate
Move from one setting or context to another.
- usage: "shift the emphasis"; "shift one's attention"
Change in quality.
- usage: "His tone shifted"
Move and exchange for another.
- usage: "shift the date for our class reunion"
Move sideways or in an unsteady way.
- usage: "The ship careened out of control"
- synonyms: careen, wobble, tilt
Move abruptly.
- usage: "The ship suddenly lurched to the left"
- synonyms: lurch, pitch
Use a shift key on a keyboard.
- usage: "She could not shift so all her letters are written in lower case"
Change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change.
- usage: "Grimm showed how the consonants shifted"
Change gears.
- usage: "you have to shift when you go down a steep hill"
Lay aside, abandon, or leave for another.
- usage: "switch to a different brand of beer"; "She switched psychiatrists"; "The car changed lanes"
- synonyms: switch, change

(v.t.) To change the position of; to alter the bearings of; to turn; as, to shift the helm or sails.
(v.t.) The act of shifting.
(v.t.) The act of putting one thing in the place of another or of changing the place of a thing; change; substitution.
(v.t.) 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.
(v.t.) To change the clothing of; -- used reflexively.
(v.t.) A change of the position of the hand on the finger board, in playing the violin.
(v.t.) In building, the extent or arrangement, of the overlapping of plank, brick, stones, etc., that are placed in courses so as to break joints.
(v.t.) To put off or out of the way by some expedient.
(v.t.) 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.
(v.t.) Something frequently shifted; especially, a woman's under-garment; a chemise.
(v.t.) To divide; to distribute; to apportion.
(v.t.) 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.
(v.t.) A breaking off and dislocation of a seam; a fault.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary