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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

Compare meaning

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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

Freshman drama “The Pitt,” HBO Max’s hour-by-hour look at a day shift inside a Pittsburgh emergency room, won best drama at the 77th Emmy Awards on Sunday night.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 14, 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

However, most other proteins had rhythms that changed substantially in night shift participants compared to the day shift participants.

From Science Daily May 9, 2024

At 8:32 a.m. on Sunday, May 18, the person on night shift was just handing the work over to the person on day shift.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

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