lift

[lift]
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.
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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, especially 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; Middle English liften < Old Norse lypta, derivative of lopt air, cognate with German lüften literally, to take aloft; see loft

Related forms
lift·a·ble, adjective
lift·er, noun
un·der·lift, noun
un·lift·a·ble, adjective
un·lift·ed, adjective
un·lift·ing, adjective

Synonyms
1. elevate. See raise.

Antonyms
1. lower.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
lift1 (lɪft) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb
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.  (US), (Canadian) (tr) to pay off (a mortgage, etc)
 
—n
15.  the act or an instance of lifting
16.  the power or force available or used for lifting
17.  a.  (Brit) US and Canadian word: elevator a platform, compartment, or cage raised or lowered in a vertical shaft to transport persons or goods in a building
 b.  chairlift See ski lift
18.  the distance or degree to which something is lifted
19.  a usually free ride as a passenger in a car or other vehicle
20.  a rise in the height of the ground
21.  a rise in morale or feeling of cheerfulness usually caused by some specific thing or event
22.  the force required to lift an object
23.  a layer of the heel of a shoe, etc, or a detachable pad inside the shoe to give the wearer added height
24.  aid; help
25.  mining
 a.  the thickness of ore extracted in one operation
 b.  a set of pumps used in a mine
26.  a.  the component of the aerodynamic forces acting on a wing, etc, at right angles to the airflow
 b.  the upward force exerted by the gas in a balloon, airship, etc
27.  See airlift
 
[C13: from Scandinavian; related to Old Norse lypta, Old English lyft sky; compare loft]
 
'liftable1
 
—adj
 
'lifter1
 
—n

lift2 (lɪft) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
(Scot) the sky
 
[Old English lyft]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

lift
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 1520s. 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
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. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary

lift definition


  1. n.
    the potency of alcohol in liquor. : Now, this imported stuff has enough lift to raise the dead.
  2. n.
    a brief spiritual or ego-lifting occurrence. : Your kind words have given me quite a lift.
  3. n.
    and lift-up. drug euphoria; a rush. (Drugs.) : The lift-up from the shot jarred her bones.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
As the eggs are cooked, lift them from the water with a slotted spoon.
The ultimate goal should be to lift up the entire system.
The density question has to do with lift, and the power required to generate
  the lift.
The simple act of petting a dog can lift people's spirits.
Image for lift
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