switch vs shift

switch and shift both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
switch	Yes	No	Yes	No
shift	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, switch and shift are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of switch include switching.

As verbs, switch and shift are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of switch include change over.

As verbs, switch and shift are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of switch include change.

As verbs, shift is a hyponym of switch; that is, shift is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than switch:

Other hyponyms of switch include transition, break, channel-surf, surf, jump, leap, diphthongise, diphthongize, cut, break.

switch (noun)	shift (noun)
the act of changing one thing or position for another	the act of moving from one place to another
a basketball maneuver; two defensive players shift assignments so that each guards the player usually guarded by the other	the act of changing one thing or position for another
a flexible implement used as an instrument of punishment	a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist
control consisting of a mechanical or electrical or electronic device for making or breaking or changing the connections in a circuit	a woman's sleeveless undergarment
railroad track having two movable rails and necessary connections; used to turn a train from one track to another or to store rolling stock	the key on the typewriter keyboard that shifts from lower-case letters to upper-case letters
hairpiece consisting of a tress of false hair; used by women to give shape to a coiffure	an event in which something is displaced without rotation
an event in which one thing is substituted for another	a qualitative change
	a crew of workers who work for a specific period of time
	(geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
	the time period during which you are at work

switch (verb)	shift (verb)
reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action)	make a shift in or exchange of
make a shift in or exchange of	move and exchange for another
lay aside, abandon, or leave for another	lay aside, abandon, or leave for another
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence	move from one setting or context to another
cause to go on or to be engaged or set in operation	change in quality
flog with or as if with a flexible rod	change gears
exchange or give (something) in exchange for	change phonetically as part of a systematic historical change
	use a shift key on a keyboard
	change place or direction
	move very slightly
	move around
	move abruptly
	move sideways or in an unsteady way