graveyard shift

noun

1. a work shift usually beginning at about midnight and continuing for about eight hours through the early morning hours.
2. those who work this shift.

graveyard shift

noun

1. the working shift between midnight and morning

Word History and Origins

Origin of graveyard shift¹

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

I also hadn’t done my hearing any favors by working the graveyard shift at a nightclub during college—eight uninterrupted hours at a stretch of noise exposure that vastly exceeded safe levels.

From Slate

She and her fiance work the graveyard shift at Amazon, but they went two weeks without pay after the fire displaced them, and have been jumping from motel to motel.

From Los Angeles Times

The company cancelled the graveyard shift and evacuated most staff out of an “abundance of caution.”

From Seattle Times

Then he took a job working the graveyard shift as a truck driver at the port.

From Los Angeles Times

Faye works the graveyard shift at a hectic Florida hospital.

From Slate