lift

[ lift ]

verb (used with object)

1. to move or bring (something) upward from the ground or other support to a higher position; hoist.

   Synonyms: elevate

   Antonyms: lower

2. to raise or direct upward: to lift one's head.

   He lifted his arm in a gesture of farewell;

   to lift one's head.

3. to remove or rescind by an official act, as a ban, curfew, or tax:

   a court decision to lift the ban on strikes by teachers.

4. to stop or put an end to (a boycott, blockade, etc.):

   The citizenry will have to conserve food and water until the siege against the city is lifted.

5. to hold up or display on high.
6. to raise in rank, condition, estimation, etc.; elevate or exalt (sometimes used reflexively): By hard work they lifted themselves from poverty.

   His first book lifted him from obscurity.

   By hard work they lifted themselves from poverty.

7. to make audible or louder, as the voice or something voiced:

   The congregation lifted their voices in song.

8. to transfer from one setting to another:

   For the protagonist of the new play, the author has lifted a character from an early novel.

9. Informal. to plagiarize:

   Whole passages had been lifted from another book.

10. Informal. to steal:

    His wallet was lifted on the crowded subway.

11. airlift ( def 5 ).
12. to remove (plants and tubers) from the ground, as after harvest or for transplanting.
13. Horology. (of an escape wheel) to move (a pallet) by moving along the outer, oblique face.
14. to pay off (a mortgage, promissory note, etc.).
15. Golf. to pick up (the ball), as to move it from an unplayable lie.
16. to perform a surgical lift on.
17. Shipbuilding.
    1. to transfer (measurements and the like) from a drawing, model, etc., to a piece being built.
    2. to form (a template) according to a drawing, model, etc.
18. to cease temporarily from directing (fire or bombardment) on an objective or area:

    They lifted the fire when the infantry began to advance.

19. Fox Hunting. to take (hounds) from the line of a fox to where it has just been seen.

verb (used without object)

1. to go up; yield to upward pressure: The lid won't lift.

   The box is too heavy to lift.

   The lid won't lift.

2. to pull or strain upward in the effort to raise something:

   to lift at a heavy weight.

3. to move upward or rise; rise and disperse, as clouds or fog.
4. (of rain) to stop temporarily.
5. to rise to view above the horizon when approached, as land seen from the sea.

noun

1. the act of lifting, raising, or rising:

   the lift of a hand.

2. the distance that anything rises or is raised:

   a lift of 20 feet between canal locks.

3. a lifting or raising force:

   A kite depends on the wind to act as its lift.

4. the weight, load, or quantity lifted.
5. an act or instance of helping to climb or mount:

   He gave her a lift onto the wagon.

6. a ride in a vehicle, especially one given to a pedestrian:

   Can you give me a lift across town?

7. a feeling of exaltation or uplift:

   Their visit gave me quite a lift.

8. assistance or aid:

   The fund-raiser's successful efforts proved a great lift for the organization.

9. a device or apparatus for lifting:

   a hydraulic lift.

10. a movement in which a dancer, skater, etc., lifts up his partner.
11. a cosmetic surgery that lifts and tightens a specified part of the body and removes excess skin and fat: a breast lift;

    an arm lift;

    a breast lift;

    a buttocks lift.

12. Skiing.
    1. ski lift.
    2. chairlift.
13. British.
    1. elevator ( def 2 ).
    2. any device used to lift or elevate, as a dumbwaiter or hoist.
14. Informal. a theft.
15. a rise or elevation of ground.
16. Aeronautics. the component of the aerodynamic force exerted by the air on an airfoil, having a direction perpendicular to the direction of motion and causing an aircraft to stay aloft.
17. Nautical.
    1. the capacity of a cargo ship measured in dead-weight tons.
    2. topping lift.
18. one of the layers of leather forming the heel of a boot or shoe.
19. a special arch support built or inserted into footwear.
20. Mining. the slice or thickness of ore mined in one operation.
21. Building Trades. the height of the quantity of concrete poured into a form at one time.
22. Naval Architecture. any of the horizontal planks forming a type of half model lift mod·el, able to be removed and measured as a guide to laying out the water lines of the vessel at full scale.
23. Typesetting. fat ( def 23 ).
24. Printing. the quantity of paper loaded into or removed from a press or other printing machine at one time.
25. Horology.
    1. the displacement of a pallet by an escape wheel that has been unlocked.
    2. the angle through which the pallet passes when so displaced.
26. airlift ( defs 1, 2, 3 ).

lift

¹

/ lɪft /

verb

1. to rise or cause to rise upwards from the ground or another support to a higher place

   to lift a sack

2. to move or cause to move upwards

   to lift one's eyes

3. tr to take hold of in order to carry or remove

   to lift something down from a shelf

4. tr to raise in status, spirituality, estimation, etc

   his position lifted him from the common crowd

5. tr to revoke or rescind

   to lift tax restrictions

6. to make or become audible or louder

   to lift one's voice in song

7. tr to take (plants or underground crops) out of the ground for transplanting or harvesting
8. intr to disappear by lifting or as if by lifting

   the fog lifted

9. to transport in a vehicle
10. informal.
    tr to take unlawfully or dishonourably; steal
11. informal.
    tr to make dishonest use of (another person's idea, writing, etc); plagiarize
12. slang.
    tr to arrest
13. tr to perform a face-lift on
14. tr to pay off (a mortgage, etc)

noun

1. the act or an instance of lifting
2. the power or force available or used for lifting
3. 1. a platform, compartment, or cage raised or lowered in a vertical shaft to transport persons or goods in a building US and Canadian wordelevator
   2. See chairlift ski lift
4. the distance or degree to which something is lifted
5. a usually free ride as a passenger in a car or other vehicle
6. a rise in the height of the ground
7. a rise in morale or feeling of cheerfulness usually caused by some specific thing or event
8. the force required to lift an object
9. a layer of the heel of a shoe, etc, or a detachable pad inside the shoe to give the wearer added height
10. aid; help
11. mining
    1. the thickness of ore extracted in one operation
    2. a set of pumps used in a mine
12. 1. the component of the aerodynamic forces acting on a wing, etc, at right angles to the airflow
    2. the upward force exerted by the gas in a balloon, airship, etc
13. See airlift

lift

²

/ lɪft /

noun

1. the sky

lift

/ lĭft /

1. An upward force acting on an object. Lift can be produced in many ways; for example, by creating a low-pressure area above an object, such an airplane wing or other airfoil that is moving through the air, or by lowering the overall density of an object relative to the air around it, as with a hot air balloon.
2. Compare dragSee also airfoilSee Note at aerodynamics

Derived Forms

• ˈliftable, adjective
• ˈlifter, noun

Other Words From

• lift·a·ble adjective
• lift·er noun
• un·der·lift noun
• un·lift·a·ble adjective
• un·lift·ed adjective
• un·lift·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lift¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; 1955–60 lift fordef 10; Middle English liften, from Old Norse lypta, derivative of lopt “air,” cognate with German lüften literally, “to take aloft”; loft

Word History and Origins

Origin of lift¹

C13: from Scandinavian; related to Old Norse lypta, Old English lyft sky; compare loft

Origin of lift²

Old English lyft

Synonym Study

See raise.

Example Sentences

Lurie is the founder of Tipping Point, a San Francisco nonprofit that funds efforts to lift people out of poverty.

From Los Angeles Times

Often referred to as SuperSlow or Power of Ten, the resistance training technique involves lifting weights very slowly and methodically, with 10 seconds each spent on the lifting and lowering motions of the exercise.

From Los Angeles Times

Giant, golden Dobermann dog sculptures adorn the lobby and every floor outside the lifts.

From BBC

Although legal or legislative efforts will be necessary to lift their now unconstitutional bans, it’s astonishing progress for those states and the people who live in them.

From Los Angeles Times

Norrie was aiming to lift the trophy in only his fourth tournament back on the main tour, having missed almost three months with a forearm injury.

From BBC

Related Words

• cancel
• dismantle
• end
• relax
• remove
• rescind
• reverse
• stop