Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Browse Nearby Entries
lift
Sponsored Links Goodyear Coupon Offers
Act Now For Auto Service Coupons Find A Goodyear Retailer Near You
goodyeardealers.com/socal
Vehicle LIfts
Wheelchair & Scooter Lifts Save now! Call us 800-242-4111
www.abilitycenter.com
Stairlifts in California
ACORN Stair lifts available locally Give your life a lift.
california.acornstairlifts.com
10 dictionary results for: Lift
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
lift       [lift] Pronunciation Key
–verb (used with object)
1.to move or bring (something) upward from the ground or other support to a higher position; hoist.
2.to raise or direct upward: 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): 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 face lifting on.
17.Shipbuilding.
a.to transfer (measurements and the like) from a drawing, model, etc., to a piece being built.
b.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)
20.to go up; yield to upward pressure: The box is too heavy to lift. The lid won't lift.
21.to pull or strain upward in the effort to raise something: to lift at a heavy weight.
22.to move upward or rise; rise and disperse, as clouds or fog.
23.(of rain) to stop temporarily.
24.to rise to view above the horizon when approached, as land seen from the sea.
–noun
25.the act of lifting, raising, or rising: the lift of a hand.
26.the distance that anything rises or is raised: a lift of 20 feet between canal locks.
27.a lifting or raising force: A kite depends on the wind to act as its lift.
28.the weight, load, or quantity lifted.
29.an act or instance of helping to climb or mount: He gave her a lift onto the wagon.
30.a ride in a vehicle, esp. one given to a pedestrian: Can you give me a lift across town?
31.a feeling of exaltation or uplift: Their visit gave me quite a lift.
32.assistance or aid: The fund-raiser's successful efforts proved a great lift for the organization.
33.a device or apparatus for lifting: a hydraulic lift.
34.a movement in which a dancer, skater, etc., lifts up his partner.
35.Skiing.
a.ski lift.
b.chair lift.
36.British.
a.elevator (def. 2).
b.any device used to lift or elevate, as a dumbwaiter or hoist.
37.Informal. a theft.
38.a rise or elevation of ground.
39.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.
40.Nautical.
a.the capacity of a cargo ship measured in dead-weight tons.
b.topping lift.
41.one of the layers of leather forming the heel of a boot or shoe.
42.a special arch support built or inserted into footwear.
43.Mining. the slice or thickness of ore mined in one operation.
44.Building Trades. the height of the quantity of concrete poured into a form at one time.
45.Naval Architecture. any of the horizontal planks forming a type of half model (lift model), able to be removed and measured as a guide to laying out the water lines of the vessel at full scale.
46.Typesetting. fat (def. 23).
47.Printing. the quantity of paper loaded into or removed from a press or other printing machine at one time.
48.Horology.
a.the displacement of a pallet by an escape wheel that has been unlocked.
b.the angle through which the pallet passes when so displaced.
49.airlift (defs. 1–3).
[Origin: 1250–1300; 1955–60 for def. 10; ME liften < ON lypta, deriv. of lopt air, c. G lüften lit., to take aloft; see loft]

—Related forms
lift·a·ble, adjective
lifter, noun

—Synonyms 1. elevate. See raise.
—Antonyms 1. lower.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Sponsored Links Goodyear Coupon Offers
Act Now For Auto Service Coupons Find A Goodyear Retailer Near You
goodyeardealers.com/socal
Vehicle LIfts
Wheelchair & Scooter Lifts Save now! Call us 800-242-4111
www.abilitycenter.com
Stairlifts in California
ACORN Stair lifts available locally Give your life a lift.
california.acornstairlifts.com
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
lift       (lĭft)  Pronunciation Key 
v.   lift·ed, lift·ing, lifts

v.   tr.
    1. To direct or carry from a lower to a higher position; raise: lift one's eyes; lifted the suitcase.
    2. To transport by air: The helicopter lifted the entire team to the meet.
    3. To revoke by taking back; rescind: lifted the embargo.
    4. To bring an end to (a blockade or siege) by removing forces.
    5. To raise in condition, rank, or esteem.
    6. To uplift; elate: Your telephone call really lifted my spirits.
    7. Sports To hit (a golf ball) very high into the air.
    8. To pick up (a golf ball) to place it in a better lie.
    9. To shoot or flip (a puck) so that it rises sharply off the ice.
    1. To revoke by taking back; rescind: lifted the embargo.
    2. To bring an end to (a blockade or siege) by removing forces.
    3. To raise in condition, rank, or esteem.
    4. To uplift; elate: Your telephone call really lifted my spirits.
    5. Sports To hit (a golf ball) very high into the air.
    6. To pick up (a golf ball) to place it in a better lie.
    7. To shoot or flip (a puck) so that it rises sharply off the ice.
  3. To cease (artillery fire) in an area.
    1. To raise in condition, rank, or esteem.
    2. To uplift; elate: Your telephone call really lifted my spirits.
    3. Sports To hit (a golf ball) very high into the air.
    4. To pick up (a golf ball) to place it in a better lie.
    5. To shoot or flip (a puck) so that it rises sharply off the ice.
  5. To remove (plants) from the ground for transplanting.
  6. To project or sound in loud, clear tones: lifted their voices in song.
  7. Informal To steal; pilfer: A thief lifted my wallet.
  8. Informal To copy from something already published; plagiarize: lifted whole paragraphs from the encyclopedia.
  9. To pay off or clear (a debt or mortgage, for example).
  10. To perform cosmetic surgery on (the face, for example), especially in order to remove wrinkles or sagging skin.
    1. Sports To hit (a golf ball) very high into the air.
    2. To pick up (a golf ball) to place it in a better lie.
    3. To shoot or flip (a puck) so that it rises sharply off the ice.

v.   intr.
    1. To rise; ascend.
    2. To yield to upward pressure: These windows lift easily.
    3. To disappear or disperse by or as if by rising: By afternoon the smog had lifted.
    4. To stop temporarily: The rain lifted by morning.
    1. To disappear or disperse by or as if by rising: By afternoon the smog had lifted.
    2. To stop temporarily: The rain lifted by morning.
  3. To become elevated; soar: Their spirits lifted when help came.

n.  
  1. The act or process of rising or raising to a higher position.
  2. Power or force available for raising: the lift of a pump.
  3. An amount or a weight raised or capable of being raised at one time; a load.
    1. The extent or height to which something is raised or rises; the amount of elevation.
    2. The distance or space through which something is raised or rises.
  5. A rise or an elevation in the level of the ground.
  6. An elevation of the spirits: The good news gave us a lift.
  7. A raised, high, or erect position, as of a part of the body: the lift of his chin.
  8. A machine or device designed to pick up, raise, or carry something.
  9. One of the layers of leather, rubber, or other material making up the heel of a shoe.
  10. Chiefly British A passenger or cargo elevator.
  11. A ride in a vehicle given to help someone reach a destination: gave my friend a lift into town.
  12. Assistance or help: gave her a lift with her heavy packages.
  13. A set of pumps used in a mine.
  14. The component of the total aerodynamic force acting on an airfoil or on an entire aircraft or winged missile perpendicular to the relative wind and normally exerted in an upward direction, opposing the pull of gravity.

Phrasal Verb(s):
lift off
To begin flight: The spacecraft lifted off at noon.

Idiom(s):
lift fire
To increase the range of artillery fire by elevating the muzzle of a piece.

[Middle English liften, from Old Norse lypta.]

lift'a·ble adj., lift'er n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to move something from a lower to a higher level or position. Lift sometimes stresses the expenditure of effort: a trunk too heavy to lift.
Raise often implies movement to an approximately vertical position: raised my hand so I could ask a question.
Elevate is sometimes synonymous with the preceding terms (elevated his sprained ankle), but it more often suggests exalting, ennobling, or raising morally or intellectually: "A generous and elevated mind is distinguished by nothing more certainly than an eminent degree of curiosity" (Samuel Johnson).
Hoist is applied principally to the lifting of heavy objects, often by mechanical means: hoist a sunken ship.
To heave is to lift or raise with great effort or force: heaved the pack onto his back.
Boost suggests upward movement effected by or as if by pushing from below: boosted the child into the saddle. See Also Synonyms at steal.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
lift  (v.)
c.1200, from O.N. lypta "to raise," from P.Gmc. *luftijan (cf. M.L.G. lüchten, Du. lichten, Ger. lüften "to lift;" O.E. lyft "heaven, air," see loft). The meaning "steal" (as in shop-lift) is first recorded 1526.Noun meaning "cheering influence" is from 1861; sense of "elevator" first recorded 1851. Meaning "help given to a pedestrian by taking him into a vehicle" is from 1712. Liftoff "vertical take-off of a rocket, etc." is 1956 in Amer.Eng.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
lift

noun
1. the act of giving temporary assistance 
2. the component of the aerodynamic forces acting on an airfoil that opposes gravity [syn: aerodynamic lift] 
3. the event of something being raised upward; "an elevation of the temperature in the afternoon"; "a raising of the land resulting from volcanic activity" [syn: elevation] 
4. a wave that lifts the surface of the water or ground 
5. a powered conveyance that carries skiers up a hill [syn: ski tow] 
6. a device worn in a shoe or boot to make the wearer look taller or to correct a shortened leg 
7. one of the layers forming the heel of a shoe or boot 
8. lifting device consisting of a platform or cage that is raised and lowered mechanically in a vertical shaft in order to move people from one floor to another in a building [syn: elevator] 
9. plastic surgery to remove wrinkles and other signs of aging from your face; an incision is made near the hair line and skin is pulled back and excess tissue is excised; "some actresses have more than one face lift" [syn: face lift] 
10. transportation of people or goods by air (especially when other means of access are unavailable) [syn: airlift] 
11. a ride in a car; "he gave me a lift home" 
12. the act of raising something; "he responded with a lift of his eyebrow"; "fireman learn several different raises for getting ladders up" 

verb
1. raise from a lower to a higher position; "Raise your hands"; "Lift a load" [syn: raise] [ant: bring down] 
2. take hold of something and move it to a different location; "lift the box onto the table" 
3. move upwards; "lift one's eyes" 
4. move upward; "The fog lifted"; "The smoke arose from the forest fire"; "The mist uprose from the meadows" [syn: rise] [ant: come down] 
5. make audible; "He lifted a war whoop" 
6. cancel officially; "He revoked the ban on smoking"; "lift an embargo"; "vacate a death sentence" [syn: revoke] 
7. make off with belongings of others 
8. raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help; "hoist the bicycle onto the roof of the car" [syn: hoist] 
9. invigorate or heighten; "lift my spirits"; "lift his ego" [syn: raise] 
10. raise in rank or condition; "The new law lifted many people from poverty" 
11. take off or away by decreasing; "lift the pressure" 
12. rise up; "The building rose before them" [syn: rise] 
13. pay off (a mortgage) 
14. take without referencing from someone else's writing or speech; of intellectual property [syn: plagiarize] 
15. take illegally; "rustle cattle" [syn: rustle] 
16. fly people or goods to or from places not accessible by other means; "Food is airlifted into Bosnia" [syn: airlift] 
17. take (root crops) out of the ground; "lift potatoes" 
18. call to stop the hunt or to retire, as of hunting dogs 
19. rise upward, as from pressure or moisture; "The floor is lifting slowly" 
20. put an end to; "lift a ban"; "raise a siege" 
21. remove (hair) by scalping 
22. remove from a seedbed or from a nursery; "lift the tulip bulbs" 
23. remove from a surface; "the detective carefully lifted some fingerprints from the table" 
24. perform cosmetic surgery on someone's face [syn: face-lift] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
lift       (lĭft)  Pronunciation Key 
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. Compare drag. See also airfoil, buoyancy. See Note at aerodynamics.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: lift
Function: transitive verb
: to put an end to : make no longer effective <lift the stay>

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Lift

Lift\ (l[i^]ft), n. [AS. lyft air. See Loft.] The sky; the atmosphere; the firmament. [Obs. or Scot.]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Lift

Lift\ (l[i^]ft), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lifted; p. pr. & vb. n. Lifting.] [Icel. lypta, fr. lopt air; akin to Sw. lyfta to lift, Dan. l["o]fte, G. l["u]ften; -- prop., to raise into the air. See Loft, and cf. 1st Lift.]

1. To move in a direction opposite to that of gravitation; to raise; to elevate; to bring up from a lower place to a higher; to upheave; sometimes implying a continued support or holding in the higher place; -- said of material things; as, to lift the foot or the hand; to lift a chair or a burden.

2. To raise, elevate, exalt, improve, in rank, condition, estimation, character, etc.; -- often with up.

The Roman virtues lift up mortal man. --Addison.

Lest, being lifted up with pride. --1 Tim. iii. 6.

3. To bear; to support. [Obs.] --Spenser.

4. To collect, as moneys due; to raise.

5. [Perh. a different word, and akin to Goth. hliftus thief, hlifan to steal, L. clepere, Gr. kle`ptein. Cf. Shoplifter.] To steal; to carry off by theft (esp. cattle); as, to lift a drove of cattle.

Note: In old writers, lift is sometimes used for lifted.

He ne'er lift up his hand but conquered. --Shak.

To lift up, to raise or elevate; in the Scriptures, specifically, to elevate upon the cross. --John viii. 28.

To lift up the eyes. To look up; to raise the eyes, as in prayer. --Ps. cxxi. 1.

To lift up the feet, to come speedily to one's relief. --Ps. lxxiv. 3.

To lift up the hand. (a) To take an oath. --Gen. xiv. 22. (b) To pray. --Ps. xxviii. 2. (c) To engage in duty. --Heb. xii. 12.

To lift up the hand against, to rebel against; to assault; to attack; to injure; to oppress. --Job xxxi. 21.

To lift up one's head, to cause one to be exalted or to rejoice. --Gen. xl. 13. --Luke xxi. 28.

To lift up the heel against, to treat with insolence or unkindness. --John xiii.18.

To lift up the voice, to cry aloud; to call out. --Gen. xxi. 16.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Lift

Lift\ (l[i^]ft), v. i. 1. To try to raise something; to exert the strength for raising or bearing.

Strained by lifting at a weight too heavy. --Locke.

2. To rise; to become or appear raised or elevated; as, the fog lifts; the land lifts to a ship approaching it.

3. [See Lift, v. t., 5.] To live by theft. --Spenser.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Lift

Lift\, n. 1. Act of lifting; also, that which is lifted.

2. The space or distance through which anything is lifted; as, a long lift. --Bacon.

3. Help; assistance, as by lifting; as, to give one a lift in a wagon. [Colloq.]

The goat gives the fox a lift. --L'Estrange.

4. That by means of which a person or thing lifts or is lifted; as: (a) A hoisting machine; an elevator; a dumb waiter. (b) A handle. (c) An exercising machine.

5. A rise; a degree of elevation; as, the lift of a lock in canals.

6. A lift gate. See Lift gate, below. [Prov. Eng.]

7. (Naut.) A rope leading from the masthead to the extremity of a yard below; -- used for raising or supporting the end of the yard.

8. (Mach.) One of the steps of a cone pulley.

9. (Shoemaking) A layer of leather in the heel.

10. (Horology) That portion of the vibration of a balance during which the impulse is given. --Saunier.

Dead lift. See under Dead. --Swift.

Lift bridge, a kind of drawbridge, the movable part of which is lifted, instead of being drawn aside.

Lift gate, a gate that is opened by lifting.

Lift hammer. See Tilt hammer.

Lift lock, a canal lock.

Lift pump, a lifting pump.

Lift tenter (Windmills), a governor for regulating the speed by adjusting the sails, or for adjusting the action of grinding machinery according to the speed.

Lift wall (Canal Lock), the cross wall at the head of the lock.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Share This:Share This: digg.comShare This: ma.gnolia.comShare This: www.stumbleupon.comShare This: del.icio.usShare This: FacebookShare This: favorites.live.comShare This: www.technorati.comShare This: furl.netShare This: myweb2.search.yahoo.comShare This: www.google.com
Sponsored Links Goodyear Coupon Offers
Act Now For Auto Service Coupons Find A Goodyear Retailer Near You
goodyeardealers.com/socal
Vehicle LIfts
Wheelchair & Scooter Lifts Save now! Call us 800-242-4111
www.abilitycenter.com
Stairlifts in California
ACORN Stair lifts available locally Give your life a lift.
california.acornstairlifts.com
Platform Lifts
Your Reliable & Affordable Solution For Platform Lifts Here At Bruno
www.Bruno.com
Patient, Ceiling Lifts
Safe and Effective 1 to 1000 pounds Vancare Patient lifts and slings
www.vancare.com