Home › Words › D › downshiftdownshift/ˈdaʊnʃɪft/downshift means A change of direction or a movement downwards.downshift is pronounced /ˈdaʊnʃɪft/.EtymologyThe noun is derived from down (preposition) + shift (“slight change or movement”). The verb is derived from the noun.nounA 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.e.g.“The driver, Lindsay, gave me a regal wave at the top after he had completed a series of perfect downshifts[.]” — 2000, Bob Foster, Birdum or Bust!, Henley Beach, SA: Seaview Press, page 197:verbTo 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.e.g.“He brought the car to a stop before the bridge, downshifted and then put her at the road again in a rising disciplined snarl along the N.6 to Cannes.” — a. 1962, Ernest Hemingway, chapter 27, in The Garden of Eden, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1986, →ISBN, page 229: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.e.g.“In a stick-shift vehicle, the driver must downshift when necessary; in an automatic, the transmission downshifts as needed.”Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.downscale 67% match — Being downmarket, of a lower quality. vs downshift →upshift 66% match — A shift to a higher gear. vs downshift →reshift 64% match — To shift again or anew. vs downshift →downsize 64% match — To reduce in size or number. vs downshift →downmodulate 63% match — To modulate to a lower level. vs downshift →reduce 63% match — To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower. vs downshift →downscaling 62% match — The act by which something is downscaled; a reduction in size or numbers. vs downshift →downshifter 62% match — A person who makes a transition to a less pressured or demanding career or lifestyle vs downshift →