day shift
Americannoun
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the workforce, as of a factory, scheduled to work during the daytime.
-
the scheduled period of labor for this workforce.
noun
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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
-
the period worked
Etymology
Origin of day shift
First recorded in 1870–75
Compare meaning
How does day-shift compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
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
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
Ordinarily, between 1,700 and 2,000 job orders are posted during a typical day shift, and between 1,100 and 1,400 are posted during a standard night shift.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2025
In the chemotherapy case the staff were nearly nine hours into a 12.5-hour day shift and had only managed five to six hours of sleep between shifts and had limited breaks because of staffing pressures.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2025
It’s the hottest day of the year, and I’ve got a day shift in the city.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
