Word.ws English Dictionary

lift

/lɪft/

lift verb: to raise or rise.

lift: to raise or rise
Image: Jonas de Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Verb

lift (third-person singular simple present lifts, present participle lifting, simple past lifted or (rare, regional, obsolete) lift, past participle lifted or (rare, regional, obsolete) lift or (obsolete) yleft)

  1. (ambitransitive) To raise or rise.
    • The fog eventually lifted, leaving the streets clear.
    • You never lift a finger to help me!
    1. (ambitransitive, transitive) To cause to move upwards.
      • Graham secured victory with five minutes left, coolly lifting the ball over Asmir Begovic.2011 October 2, Aled Williams, “Swansea 2 - 0 Stoke”, in BBC Sport Wales
  2. (slang, transitive) To steal.
    • Kamal is out with twenty men to raise the Border side,
      And he has lifted the Colonel's mare that is the Colonel's pride.1919, Rudyard Kipling, The Ballad of East and West
    • “Wilbert Cream is a ... what's the word?” I referred to the letter. “A kleptomaniac […] Does any thought occur to you?” “It most certainly does. I am thinking of your uncle's collection of old silver.” “Me, too.” “It presents a grave temptation to the unhappy young man.” “I don't know that I'd call...1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter VI, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC
  3. (slang, transitive) To source directly without acknowledgement; to plagiarise.
    • Based on a similarity across a range of Anglo-Indian entries in these three dictionaries, it appears that (along with other lexis) Barrère and Leland (1898) copied this entry from Hotten (1864), who had in turn lifted it directly from Stocqueler (1848).2018, James Lambert, “Anglo-Indian slang in dictionaries on historical principles”, in World Englishes, volume 37, page 258
  4. (slang, transitive) To arrest (a person).
    • Maybe the police lifted him and he's in Castlereagh [Interrogation Centre] because he'd been lifted three or four times previously and took to Castlereagh. They used to come in and raid the house and take him away.2000, Marie Smyth, Marie-Therese Fay, Personal Accounts From Northern Ireland's Troubles
  5. (transitive) To remove (a ban, restriction, etc.).
  6. (transitive) To alleviate, to lighten (pressure, tension, stress, etc.)
    • The Gunners boss has been heavily criticised for his side's poor start to the Premier League season but this result helps lift the pressure.2011 September 24, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 3 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC Sport
  7. (Scotland, especially, intransitive) To disperse, to break up.
    • About three o'clock in the mornin', the company began to lift, and the room to get thinner and thinner.1832, The Day, page 127
    • Others thought the bank [of clouds] would "lift," and that it would be a fine "kwait nicht"; and as they were generally unwilling to lose a night's fishing, most of the crews resolved to proceed to sea, though not without serious misgivings[…]1887, George Garden Green, Gordonhaven, by an old fisherman [G.G. Green]., page 49
  8. (informal, intransitive) To lift weights; to weight-lift.
    • She lifts twice a week at the gym.
  9. To try to raise something; to exert the strength for raising or bearing.
    • strained by lifting at a weight too heavya. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC
  10. To elevate or improve in rank, condition, etc.; often with up.
    • The Roman virtues lift up mortal man.1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene iv, page 9
    • being lifted up with pride1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Timothy 3:6
  11. (obsolete) To bear; to support.
    • Th' earth him underneath
      Did grone, as feeble so great load to lift.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
  12. To collect, as moneys due; to raise.
Show 3 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (transitive) Given morphisms f and g with the same target: To produce a morphism which the given morphism factors through (i.e. a morphism h such that f=g∘h; cf. lift n.etymology 1, noun 20)
    1. (transitive) To transform (a function) into a corresponding function in a different context.
      • Finally, we can lift a partial function into a regular (total) function that returns an Option or a Some(value) when the partial function is defined for the input argument or None when it isn't.2021, Dean Wampler, chapter 2, in Programming Scala, 3rd edition, O'Reilly, →ISBN
  2. To buy a security or other asset previously offered for sale.
  3. (transitive) To take (hounds) off the existing scent and move them to another spot.
    • I lifted the hounds (hoping to catch the leading ones there) to the far side of Hallaton Thorns.1885, Lina Chaworth Musters, Book of Hunting Songs and Sport, page 144

Noun (1)

lift (countable and uncountable, plural lifts)

  1. An act of lifting or raising.
  2. The act of transporting someone in a vehicle; a ride; a trip.
    • He gave me a lift to the bus station.
    • Accordingly, in spite of many grumbles and remonstrances from Summerlee, I ordered an additional tube, which was placed with the other in his motor-car, for he had offered me a lift to Victoria.1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC
    Synonyms:
    ride
  3. (Australia, India, New Zealand, UK, puristic elsewhere) A mechanical device for vertically transporting goods or people between floors in a building.
    • Take the lift to the fourth floor.
    • Even the lift in which the three of them were whirled up to one of the upper floors of the huge building was to the girl a new and delightful experience. Daisy had always lived a simple, quiet life in the little country town where dwelt Old Aunt, and this was the first time a lift had come her way.1913, Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes, The Lodger
    Synonyms:
    elevator
  4. A mechanical device for raising vehicles for service, so that it is easier for a mechanic to get beneath them.
  5. An upward force; especially, the force (generated by wings, rotary wings, or airfoils) that keeps aircraft aloft.
  6. Any technique for lifting weights.
    • This is actually an old-school circus lift—the sort of maneuver you imagine guys with twirly mustaches performing using cartoony barbells.2026, Greg Presto, “Timeless Gains”, in Men's Health, volume 41, number 2, page 14
  7. (measurement) The difference in elevation between the upper pool and lower pool of a waterway, separated by lock.
  8. (historical, slang) A thief.
    • The lift came into the shop dressed like a country gentleman, but was careful not to have a cloak about him, so that the tradesman could see he had no opportunity to conceal any goods about his person.1977, Gãmini Salgãdo, The Elizabethan Underworld, Folio Society, published 2006, page 32
  9. The lifting of a dance partner into the air.
  10. Permanent construction with a built-in platform that is lifted vertically.
  11. (figuratively) An improvement in mood.
    • The news rocked us, especially since we were anticipating a lift for our spirits under the grim circumstances.1981 February 7, “Robert Bobby Bob (personal advertisement)”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 28, page 14
    • Just to think he had both a mistress and a wife gave him a lift. He needed a lift, for although he'd had promotion, his wasn't an exciting job.2010, Anne Baker, With a Little Luck
  12. The amount or weight to be lifted.
    • What's the maximum lift of this crane?
Show 9 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. The space or distance through which anything is lifted.
  2. A rise; a degree of elevation.
    • the lift of a lock in canals
  3. A liftgate.
  4. A rope leading from the masthead to the extremity of a yard below, and used for raising or supporting the end of the yard.
  5. One of the steps of a cone pulley.
  6. (shoemaking) A layer of leather in the heel of a shoe.
  7. That portion of the vibration of a balance during which the impulse is given.
    • some measure the total lift and others only the lift on one side, a quantity which is not exactly half of the total lift1887, Claudius Saunier, A Treatise on Modern Horology in Theory and Practice
  8. A morphism which some given morphism factors through; i.e. given a pair of morphisms f:X→Y and g:Z→Y, a morphism h such that f=g∘h. (In this case h is said to be a lift of f via Z or via g).
    • For a covering space p#58;#92;tildeX#92;toX a path #92;gamma [i.e. a continuous map #91;0,1#93;#92;toX] in X has a unique lift #92;tilde#92;gamma starting at a given point of p#123;-1#125;(#92;gamma(0))2001, Allen Hatcher, Algebraic Topology, page 69
  9. A shorter extract from a commercial/advertisement, able to be used on its own.

Noun (2)

lift (usually uncountable, plural lifts)

  1. (Scotland, UK, dialectal, usually) Air.
  2. (Scotland, UK, dialectal, usually) The sky; the heavens; firmament; atmosphere.
    • No, no, Leddy! the sun maun be up in the lift whan I venture to her den.1836, Joanna Baillie, Witchcraft, act 1, page 13
    Synonyms:
    air, atmosphere, welkin

lift meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

lift in Hindi

mechanical device for vertically transporting goods or people
लिफ़्ट lifṭ, लिफ्ट liphṭ, उत्थापक utthāpak, उच्चालित्र uccālitra, एलिवेटर eliveṭar

lift in Tamil

mechanical device for vertically transporting goods or people
உயர்த்தி uyartti, மின்தூக்கி miṉtūkki

lift in Marathi

mechanical device for vertically transporting goods or people
उद्वाहक udvāhak, लिफ्ट liphṭa

lift in Urdu

mechanical device for vertically transporting goods or people
لِفْٹ lifṭ, بالا بَر bālā bar, رافِع rāfi', رافِعَہ rāfi'a
More languagesFewer languages
lift in Bengali
লিফট liphoṭ
lift in Telugu
లిఫ్ట్ liphṭ, ఎలివేటర్ elivēṭar
lift in Malayalam
ലിഫ്റ്റ് liphṟṟŭ
lift in Kannada
ಏರಿಳಿಯಂತ್ರ ēriḷiyantra, ಎತ್ತುಗ ettuga
lift in Punjabi
ਚੁੱਕਣਾ cukkaṇā
lift in Gujarati
ઊંચકવું ū̃chakvũ, ઉપાડવું upāṛvũ, લિફ્ટ liphṭ
lift in Odia
ଉଠାଇବା uṭhāibā
lift in Sinhala
ආරෝහකය ārōhakaya
lift in Assamese
দাঙা daṅa, উঠোৱা uthüa, তোলা tüla, দঙা doṅa
lift in Nepali
लिफ्ट liphṭa
lift in Pashto
اسانسور asānsor, لفت left, لېفټ lefṭ
lift in Tagalog
asensor
lift in Arabic
رَفَعَ rafaʕa, رفع rafaʕ, شال šāl, مِصْعَد miṣʕad
lift in Malay
angkat, lif
lift in Indonesian
angkat, lift, daya angkat
lift in Persian
لِفْت lift, آسانْسور âsânsor, بالابَر bâlâbar
lift in Thai
ยก yók, ลิฟต์ líp
lift in Vietnamese
nâng, nhấc, thang máy
lift in Myanmar
ဓာတ်လှေကား dhathleka:

Examples of lift in a sentence

  • At the door of one, an old black woman had stooped to lift a large basket, piled high with laundered clothes.1900, Charles W[addell] Chesnutt, chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company...
  • Instantly a great flutter of butterflies of all sizes and colors lifted in spangled clouds about them.1918, Patrick Casey, Terence Casey, The Wolf-cub: A Novel of Spain, page 91:
  • Once it [a snowdrop variety] became established, some bulbs were lifted and passed on to be chipped (i.e. cut into small pieces and grown on).2015 February 7, Val Bourne, “The quiet man of the world of snowdrops”, in The Daily Telegraph (London), page G8:
  • He probably thoroughly enjoys lifting the stuff.”1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter VI, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:

All 40 example sentences with lift

Synonyms of lift

All synonyms of lift

Forms of lift

Verb
third-person singular presentlifts
present participlelifting
pastlifted
past participlelifted
past regional (obsolete, rare)lift
past participle regional (obsolete, rare)lift
past participle (obsolete)yleft
Noun
plurallifts

Past tense of lift: lifted

Plural of lift: lifts

Origin of lift

From Middle English liften, lyften, from Old Norse lypta (“to lift, air”, literally “to raise in the air”), from Proto-Germanic *luftijaną (“to raise in the air”), related to *luftuz (“roof, air”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *lewp- (“to peel, break off, damage”) or from a root meaning roof (see *luftuz). Cognate with Danish and Norwegian Bokmål løfte (“to lift”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish lyfta (“to lift”), German lüften (“to air, lift”), Old English lyft (“air”). See above. 1851 for the noun sense "a mechanical device for vertical transport". (To steal): For this sense Cleasby suggests perhaps a relation to the root of Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌹𐍆𐍄𐌿𐍃 (hliftus) "thief", cognate with Latin cleptus and Greek κλέπτω (kléptō)). But perhaps simply from the idea of removing an item from a surface.

From Middle English lifte, luft, lefte (“air, sky, heaven”), from Old English lyft (“atmosphere, air”), from Proto-West Germanic *luftu, from Proto-Germanic *luftuz (“roof, sky, air”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewp- (“to peel, break off, damage”). Cognate with Old High German luft (“air”) (German Luft), Dutch lucht (“air”), Old Norse lopt, loft (“upper room, sky, air”). Doublet of loft and luft.

Words formed from lift

Phrases with lift

43 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with lift

11 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about lift

What does lift mean?
Lift means to raise or rise.
What is lift in Hindi?
Lift in Hindi is लिफ़्ट (lifṭ), लिफ्ट (liphṭ), उत्थापक (utthāpak). See Lift meaning in Hindi.
How do you use lift in a sentence?
At the door of one, an old black woman had stooped to lift a large basket, piled high with laundered clothes.
What part of speech is lift?
Lift can be a verb or a noun.
How do you pronounce lift?
Lift is pronounced /lɪft/.
What is the past tense of lift?
The past tense of lift is lifted.

Words near lift in the dictionary

  1. Liford
  2. Lifords
  3. LIFs
  4. Lifshitz
  5. Lifshitzes
  6. lift
  7. lift a finger
  8. lift a finger against
  9. lift all boats
  10. lift and separate
  11. lift and shift

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: lift (page history and authors); ਚੁੱਕਣਾ (Punjabi) (page history and authors); ઉપાડવું (Gujarati) (page history and authors); ଉଠାଇବା (Odia) (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.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-lift.ogg, en-au-lift.ogg.

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