Working night shifts can be challenging, but using the right phrases can make communication easier. Whether you’re discussing the hours, the work, or the experience, these idioms and phrasal verbs will help you express yourself clearly and effectively.
1. Burn the Midnight Oil
Meaning: Work late.
Example: She’s burning the midnight oil again.
2. Graveyard Shift
Meaning: Overnight work shift.
Example: He hates working the graveyard shift.
3. Night Owl
Meaning: Someone active at night.
Example: He’s a real night owl.
4. Pull an All-Nighter
Meaning: Stay up all night working.
Example: I had to pull an all-nighter.
5. Up All Night
Meaning: Awake all night.
Example: We were up all night working.
6. Work Around the Clock
Meaning: Work nonstop.
Example: We’re working around the clock.
7. Burning the Candle at Both Ends
Meaning: Working day and night.
Example: She’s burning the candle at both ends.
8. Late-Night Shift
Meaning: Work shift at night.
Example: He has a late-night shift today.
9. Night Shift
Meaning: Work shift during night.
Example: She prefers the night shift.
10. Night Duty
Meaning: Working at night.
Example: He’s on night duty this week.
11. On the Night Shift
Meaning: Assigned night work.
Example: She’s on the night shift.
12. Midnight Run
Meaning: Working past midnight.
Example: We’re on a midnight run.
13. Hit the Sack
Meaning: Go to bed.
Example: I hit the sack at 7 AM.
14. Catch Some Z’s
Meaning: Get some sleep.
Example: I’ll catch some Z’s soon.
15. Break of Dawn
Meaning: Early morning.
Example: We finished at the break of dawn.
16. Night Watch
Meaning: Monitoring at night.
Example: He’s on the night watch.
17. Early Morning Shift
Meaning: Shift starting early.
Example: She has an early morning shift.
18. Pull a Night Shift
Meaning: Work night hours.
Example: I pulled a night shift yesterday.
19. Red-Eye Shift
Meaning: Overnight work hours.
Example: He has the red-eye shift.
20. Up with the Owls
Meaning: Awake late at night.
Example: I’m up with the owls tonight.
21. Through the Night
Meaning: All night long.
Example: We worked through the night.
22. Dead of Night
Meaning: Late at night.
Example: It was the dead of night.
23. After Hours
Meaning: Beyond normal working hours.
Example: We’re working after hours.
24. Moonlight
Meaning: Work a second job at night.
Example: He moonlights as a driver.
25. Night Shift Blues
Meaning: Feeling tired from night work.
Example: She’s got the night shift blues.
26. All-Night Job
Meaning: Work lasting all night.
Example: It was an all-night job.
27. Wee Hours
Meaning: Very early hours.
Example: We finished in the wee hours.
28. Night Grind
Meaning: Hard night work.
Example: He’s on the night grind.
29. Midnight Hustle
Meaning: Working hard at night.
Example: She’s doing the midnight hustle.
30. Round-the-Clock
Meaning: Continuous work.
Example: We’re on round-the-clock duty.
