Exert and Shift

Exert

Exert verb - To bring to bear especially forcefully or effectively.

Show all Definitions

Shift and exert are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Shift" instead a verb "Exert".

Nearby Words: exertion, exerting

Shift verb - To change the place or position of.

Show all Definitions

Exert and shift are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Exert" instead a verb "Shift".

Nearby Words: shifting, shifted, shifty, shiftiness, shifter

Green Arrow in particular plays this trope straight; while the black ring is making him shoot at his family, he manages to exert enough Heroic Willpower to not only shift his aim to hit something else instead, but so the ring itself momentarily shines green, the colour indicating willpower.

Source: Fighting from the Inside
Earlier incarnations had another weakness, namely a limit on how much force it could exert; it could shift the moving parts in an electronic or mechanical lock, but not a deadbolt or a bar across the door.

Source: Master of Unlocking
One radio adventure featuring the Fourth Doctor (possibly adapted from one of the lost episodes) also featured a slightly more sensible version; the Sonic Screwdriver can shift the tumblers inside a lock, but can't exert enough force to move a really stiff and heavy door-bolt.

Source: One-Shot Revisionism

Cite this Source

Shift and Exert. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 07, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/exert/shift

Exert & Shift. N.p., 2016. Web. 07 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/exert/shift>.

Shift or Exert. 2016. Accessed August 07, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/exert/shift.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "exert" and "shift" have occurred on timeline