FluentPlex

shifting

/ˈʃɪftɪŋ/ noun B2
  1. A shift or change; a shifting movement.
  2. The phenomenon by which two or more constituents appearing on the same side of their common head exchange positions to obtain non-canonical order.

Plural shiftings

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From the library

There is but such a quantity of merit between them; just enough to make one good sort of man; and of late it has been shifting about pretty much.
Pride and Prejudice, p. 253 · B2
A bridge spanned it midway and from there to its lower end, where an amber-hued belt of sand-hills shut it in from the dark blue gulf beyond, the water was a glory of many shifting hues--the most spiritual shadings of crocus and rose and ethereal green, with other elusive tintings for which no name has ever been found.
Anne of Green Gables, p. 26 · C1
“That is why,” he said, shifting his paw on the leaves.
The Jungle Book, p. 18 · B2
It grew darker and darker, till at last the dragging, shifting coils disappeared, but they could hear the rustle of the scales.
The Jungle Book, p. 60 · B2

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Words, meanings, pronunciations and translations from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); how common each word is from wordfreq. Made into this dictionary by FluentPlex.