lift

verb

• 1raise to a higher position or level:he lifted his trophy over his head
• move (one’s eyes or face) to face upward and look at someone or something:he lifted his eyes from the paper for an instant
• increase the volume or pitch of (one’s voice):Willie sang boldly, lifting up his voice
• increase (a price or amount):higher than expected oil prices lifted Oklahoma’s revenue
• transport by air:a helicopter lifted 11 crew members to safety from the ship
• hit or kick (a ball) high into the air.
• [no object] move upward; be raised:Thomas’s eyelids drowsily lifted their voices lifted in wails and cries
• [no object] (of a cloud, fog, etc.) move upward or away:the factory smoke hung low, never lifted the gray weather lifted on the following Wednesday
• perform cosmetic surgery on (especially the face or breasts) to reduce sagging:surgeons lift and remove excess skin from the face and neck

• 2pick up and move to a different position:he lifted her down from the pony’s back
• enable (someone or something) to escape from an unpleasant situation:two billion barrels of oil that could lift this nation out of chronic poverty

• 3raise (a person’s spirits or confidence); encourage or cheer:we heard inspiring talks that lifted our spirits
• [no object] (of a person’s mood) become happier:suddenly his heart lifted, and he could have wept with relief

• 4formally remove or end (a legal restriction, decision, or ban):the European Community lifted its oil embargo against South Africa

• 5 informal steal (something, especially a minor item of property):the shirt she had lifted from a supermarket
• use (a person’s work or ideas) without permission or acknowledgment; plagiarize:this is a hackneyed adventure lifted straight from a vintage Lassie episode

noun

• 1something that is used for lifting, in particular.
• British term for elevator.
• a device incorporating a moving cable for carrying people, typically skiers, up or down a mountain.
• a built-up heel or device worn in a boot or shoe to make the wearer appear taller or to correct shortening of a leg.

• 2an act of lifting:weightlifters attempting a particularly heavy lift
• a rise in price or amount:the company has already produced a 10 percent lift in profits
• informal an instance of stealing or plagiarizing something.
• an upward force that counteracts the force of gravity, produced by changing the direction and speed of a moving stream of air:it had separate engines to provide lift and generate forward speed
• the maximum weight that an aircraft can raise.

• 3a free ride in another person’s vehicle:Miss Green is giving me a lift back to school

• 4a feeling of encouragement or increased cheerfulness:winning this game has given everyone on the team a lift