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day shift

American  
[dey shift] / ˈdeɪ ˌʃɪft /

noun

  1. the workforce, as of a factory, scheduled to work during the daytime.

  2. the scheduled period of labor for this workforce.


day shift British  

noun

  1. a group of workers who work a shift during the daytime in an industry or occupation where a night shift or a back shift is also worked

  2. the period worked

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of day shift

First recorded in 1870–75

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

She agreed to let him paint her in part because “he was funny and bought us nice food,” she said—heading to his studio after her day shift ended.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 24, 2026

“Let’s say you’re working a midnight shift and you’re in San Diego, but you’re covering for Sacramento, right? I could see that shift saying, ‘We’re going to let the day shift handle it,’” Tardy said.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 16, 2025

Since the drama stars Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, the attending physician on the day shift, associating it with NBC’s “ER” is understandable.

From Salon Jun. 23, 2025

Published in the Journal of Proteome Research, the study involved a controlled laboratory experiment with volunteers who were put on simulated night or day shift schedules for three days.

From Science Daily May 9, 2024

“You ain’t taking my car every day, woman, what if I get the day shift and need to—” “She paying me seventy dollars cash every Friday, Leroy.”

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

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