downshift.
A change of direction or a movement downwards.
Meaning & usage
A change of direction or a movement downwards.
A reduction in quality or quantity.
A change in career or lifestyle to one which is not as well paid but less stressful and more personally rewarding.
A shift of a transmission into a lower gear, as dictated by heavier load on the engine, as for example when climbing a hill or strongly accelerating.
Where this word comes from
The noun is derived from down (preposition) + shift (“slight change or movement”). The verb is derived from the noun.
To reduce (something) in quality or quantity (as effect, scope, speed, etc.)
To change (one's career or lifestyle) to one which is not as well paid but less stressful and more personally rewarding.
To shift (a car or bicycle) into a lower gear.
To function at a lower rate; to slacken.
To change one's career or lifestyle to one which is not as well paid but less stressful and more personally rewarding.
To shift a transmission into a lower gear.
In a stick-shift vehicle, the driver must downshift when necessary; in an automatic, the transmission downshifts as needed.
Where this word comes from
The noun is derived from down (preposition) + shift (“slight change or movement”). The verb is derived from the noun.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.