Meaning & use
graveyard shift
A work shift that runs through the middle of the night, typically starting around midnight.
See it in a sentence
He works the graveyard shift at the hospital, so he sleeps most of the day.
Few people volunteer for the graveyard shift because it disrupts normal sleep patterns.
A note on using this word
Graveyard shift is informal but extremely common in workplaces that operate around the clock, such as hospitals and factories.
Words with a similar meaning
night shift
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
day shift
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “graveyard shift”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.