to shift gears
10
3.9
- phrasal verb
:
cambiar de estrategia
- The company had to shift gears quickly to adapt to the changing market demands.
And in that mode, you have to then shift gears perfectly and move perfectly.
- And in that mode, you have to then shift gears perfectly and move perfectly.
- But let's let's shift gears and get into how we're going to move forward.
- And we were resilient enough to shift gears.
- So when it hit nine, PMI made the executive decision to shift gears and shift my plan for the night.
- One thing I want to mention real quick here to shift gears a little bit.
- And that was that was huge thing and huge because it really shifted gears for me.
- I do want to mention a few other things in terms of this as we sort of shift gears towards the writing itself.
- So we have abstraction layers in there and you have to think about when do you shift gears on that.
Examples
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And so let's shift gears for a moment and talk about this network that you've created.
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All right, let's shift gears to something lighter.
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Now we're going to shift gears into some new material, all right?
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Then we kind of shift gears and we move to a different library.
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And how did you finally decide to shift gears and to walk?
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One thing I want to mention real quick here to shift gears a little bit.
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Let me shift gears and ask you about self improvement.
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But let's let's shift gears and get into how we're going to move forward.
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I was amazed at how quickly he could shift gears.
Fiction book (1997) -
Some management teams have recognized that different talent will be needed to shift gears back to growth mode.
Blog text (22)
Synonyms
756
2.0
To change one thing or person for another
39
2.3
Change gear in a vehicle, usually while driving
22
3.8
Change something or yourself again to fit a new situation
13
4.9
To change direction in a business or project
1
5.1
To try a different way to deal with a problem
Antonyms
How Dramatic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase extends the literal vehicle action of changing gears (shift + gears) into a metaphor for changing approach or strategy, so a learner who knows both constituent words can often infer the general idea. However, the specific pragmatic uses and nuance (e.g., timing, formality) are metaphorical and not fully predictable from the parts alone, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The phrasal verb shift gears comes from driving: when a driver changes the gears, the engine connects to the wheels in a new way so the car can go faster, slower, or climb a hill. That's why shift gears now means 'to change your approach or plan'.