night shift

American  

[nahyt shift] / ˈnaɪt ˌʃɪft /

noun

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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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

He was found at 05:16 the next day near Grangetown train station by a cleaner who had just finished a night shift.

From BBC

Factory work was hard, with strict rules and night shifts, and pay of only around $850 a month, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Medics will often be expected to work night shifts, weekend or longer hours for which they will receive extra payments.

From BBC

"We are ghosts on the night shift," says Leandro Cristovao from Angola, who has worked the graveyard shift at a south London market for seven years.

From Barron's

Since April, Chambliss has worked the night shift overseeing a team of 200 welders, plumbers and electricians at a local data-center construction site.

From The Wall Street Journal