house shift

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableIndian

   The act of moving your belongings and household from one home to another.

   Grammar: Usually has an or my: we had a house shift last month.

   Patterns

   • a house shift to somewhere
   • a house shift from somewhere

   We had a house shift last weekend, so I am still unpacking.

   The company will pay for your house shift if you transfer to Pune.

   A house shift with two small children is tiring work.

2. 2verbintransitiveIndianinformal

   To move yourself and your household to a different home.

   Grammar: No object; often followed by to: we are house shifting to Delhi.

   Patterns

   • house shift to somewhere

   They are planning to house shift before the school term starts.

   After the wedding, the couple will house shift to Mumbai.

   We house shifted twice in one year.

Word forms

Common combinations

plan a house shift

We plan a house shift for early March.

a house shift to a new city

The job meant a house shift to a new city.

house shift charges

The packers quoted high house shift charges.

help with the house shift

My cousins came to help with the house shift.

book a house shift service

We booked a house shift service online.

Synonyms and how they differ

move

Move is the plain everyday word used everywhere, while house shift sounds Indian and a little more formal.

relocation

Relocation is formal and often involves a job or company, whereas house shift is simply a family changing homes.

removal

Removal is British and often means the whole moving service by truck, not the act of settling in the new home.

Word family

shift verb

to move from one place to another

shifting noun

the act of moving things or people, as in 'shifting day'

shifter noun

one who moves things; also a mover in some regions

Commonly confused: house shift or house move?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “house shift”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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