hoist

- 5 dictionary results

hoist

[hoist or, sometimes, hahyst]

–verb (used with object)

1.	to raise or lift, esp. by some mechanical appliance: to hoist a flag; to hoist the mainsail.

2.	to raise to one's lips and drink; drink (esp. beer or whiskey) with gusto: Let's go hoist a few beers.

3.	Archaic. a pt. and pp. of hoise.

–noun

4.	an apparatus for hoisting, as a block and tackle, a derrick, or a crane.

5.	act of hoisting; a lift: Give that sofa a hoist at your end.

Nautical.

a.	the vertical dimension amidships of any square sail that is hoisted with a yard. Compare drop (def. 28).

b.	the distance between the hoisted and the lowered position of such a yard.

c.	the dimension of a fore-and-aft sail along the luff.

d.	a number of flags raised together as a signal.

(on a flag)

a.	the vertical dimension as flown from a vertical staff.

b.	the edge running next to the staff. Compare fly (def. 36b).

—Idiom

8.	hoist with or by one's own petard. petard (def. 4).

Origin:
1540–50; later var. of hoise, with -t as in against, etc.

Related forms:

hoister, noun

Synonyms:
1. elevate. See raise.

Antonyms:
1. lower.

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hoise

[hoiz]

–verb (used with object), hoised or hoist, hois⋅ing. Archaic.

to hoist.

Origin:
1500–10; cf. earlier hissa a cry used in hauling, and huzza

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To hoist

hoist (hoist)

v. hoist·ed, hoist·ing, hoists

v. tr.

To raise or haul up with or as if with the help of a mechanical apparatus. See Synonyms at lift.
To raise to one's mouth in order to drink: hoist a few beers.

v. intr.
To become raised or lifted.
n.

An apparatus for lifting heavy or cumbersome objects.
The act of hoisting; a lift.
Nautical
1. The height or vertical dimension of a flag or of any square sail other than a course.
2. A group of flags raised together as a signal.

[Alteration of dialectal hoise, perhaps variant of Middle English hisse, heave!, possibly from Middle Dutch hissen, to haul.]
hoist'er n.

Word Origin & History

hoist

1548, probably originally past tense of M.E. hysse (1490), which is probably from M.Du. hyssen "to hoist," related to Low Ger. hissen and O.N. hissa upp "raise." A nautical word found in most European languages, but it is uncertain which had it first. In phrase hoist with one's own petard (see petard) it is originally the past tense.

Encyclopedia

hoist

mechanical device used primarily for raising and lowering heavy loads but occasionally for moving objects horizontally. It usually consists of a block and tackle-a combination of one or more fixed pulleys, a moving pulley with a hook or other similar means of attaching loads, and a rope (or cable) between them. Motive power for a hoist may be either manual or supplied by an electric motor. Electrically powered hoists, commonly mounted to the floor or wall, are used for varied lifting and hauling operations in factories and warehouses. See also block and tackle.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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