night shift

American  

[nahyt shift] / ˈnaɪt ˌʃɪft /

noun

• night shifts
  plural

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

2. the scheduled period of labor for this workforce.

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night shift British  

noun

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

2. the period worked

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• night shifts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of night shift

First recorded in 1700–10

Compare meaning

How does night-shift compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• day shift vs. night shift

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

night shift

At that time, he also worked the night shift at a grocery store for two-and-a-half years, earning $12.50 an hour at first and then working his way up to $20.50 an hour.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

At around 8 p.m., night shift workers shut down every gallery in South Hall, locking every prisoner inside his cell, including the porter, who sometimes acts as an additional set of eyes and ears.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

CEUTA, Spain—Obaid Aleilmi woke up on a recent afternoon, after working the night shift, to a flood of messages on his phone saying the border was open.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

"They get very anxious because they can't sleep long after a night shift," says Moen.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

“Well, we’re hurting on the night shift right now,” the sergeant told him.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen