deadlift

/ˈdɛdlɪft/

deadlift noun: a weight training exercise where one lifts a loaded barbell off the ground from a stabilized bent-over position.

Noun

deadlift (plural deadlifts)

A weight training exercise where one lifts a loaded barbell off the ground from a stabilized bent-over position.
- I never did a squat or a deadlift—the exercises I now know are best for building a bigger, stronger, more athletic-looking body—because I had access to leg-extension, leg-curl, and leg-press machines.2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xii
Any lift performed without help or leverage.
(broadly, figuratively) An effort made under discouraging conditions.

deadlift (third-person singular simple present deadlifts, present participle deadlifting, simple past and past participle deadlifted)

(transitive) To lift a barbell while moving the body from a bent-over position to a standing position.

Noun
plural	deadlifts
Verb
third-person singular present	deadlifts
present participle	deadlifting
past participle	deadlifted
past	deadlifted

From dead + lift.

What does deadlift mean?: Deadlift means a weight training exercise where one lifts a loaded barbell off the ground from a stabilized bent-over position.
What part of speech is deadlift?: Deadlift can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce deadlift?: Deadlift is pronounced /ˈdɛdlɪft/.
What is the plural of deadlift?: The plural of deadlift is deadlifts.

Adapted from Wiktionary: deadlift (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-deadlift.wav.

Cite this entry: “deadlift.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/deadlift. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.