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

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Etymology

Origin of night shift

First recorded in 1700–10

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Compare meaning

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

• day shift vs. night shift

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

night shift

Last week, Prudencio Rivera, 31, was driving home from a night shift at a poultry farm when he noticed a truck with Texas plates following him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

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

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

She had had nothing to eat since noon the day before, except a sandwich between the day and night shift.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

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