deadlifts

Noun

deadlift (plural deadlifts)

1. 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
2. Any lift performed without help or leverage.
3. (broadly, figuratively) An effort made under discouraging conditions.

See all 4 meanings of deadlift