swing shift

American  

noun

1. a work shift in industry from midafternoon until midnight.

2. the group of workers on such a shift.

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swing shift British  

noun

1. a group of workers who work a shift from late afternoon to midnight in an industry or occupation where a day shift or a night shift is also worked

2. the period worked

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Other Word Forms

• swing shifter
  noun

Etymology

Origin of swing shift

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

The Dodgers wasted no time punching in for their swing shift, Betts opening the game with a double off the right-center field wall.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2023

It could be that the job has downtime when you can work on personal projects or has a swing shift so you can use your mornings to write.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2023

He chose the swing shift so that his wife could use the couple’s car for her day shift.

From Washington Post • Apr. 4, 2022

Folk said that at the downtown jail, yesterday's "swing shift" was the first time in three months that an employee was not mandated to work overtime, and was compromised of only volunteers.

From Fox News • Jan. 19, 2022

I took on a security job, swing shift at a furniture warehouse in Sunnyvale.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini