elevate

present singular third person elevates · participle present elevating · participle past elevated · past elevated

1. transitiveTo raise (something) to a higher position.

   The doctor told me elevating my legs would help reduce the swelling.

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   The Grace or Blessynge of the table to be sayed of chyldren standynge before it, thyr handes eleuated and ioyned to gyder

   1534, William Marshall, George Joye, A Prymer in Englyshe, London: William Marshall

   She had one eye declined for the loss of her husband, another elevated that the oracle was fulfilled: […]

   c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]

   1750, Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, No. 25, 12 June, 1750, Volume 1, London: J. Payne and J. Bouquet, 1752, p. 216, We know that a few strokes of the axe will lop a cedar; but what arts of cultivation can elevate a shrub?

   Abdulla expressed his surprise by elevating his eyebrows.

   1896, Joseph Conrad, chapter V, in An Outcast of the Islands, London: T. Fisher Unwin […], →OCLC, part II, page 138

   Synonyms: lift, raise · Antonyms: drop, lower

2. transitiveTo promote (someone) to a higher rank.

   […] that’s the way things go when you elevate mediocre people to positions of authority.

   1961, Joseph Heller, chapter 29, in Catch-22, New York: Dell, page 334

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   Hard Fate of Greatness, We so highly Elevated Are more expos’d to Censure than the little ones,

   1682, Aphra Behn, “The Roundheads or, The Good Old Cause”, in et al., London: D. Brown, act I, scene 1, page 6

   Nothing can set the regal character in a more contemptible point of view, than the various crimes that have elevated men to the supreme dignity.

   1791 (date written), Mary Wollstonecraft, “The Rights and Involved Duties of Mankind Considered”, in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1792, →OCLC, page 24

   Much has also been made recently of the distorting effects exerted on the administration of Urban VIII by the interests of the Barberini nephews, especially of the two elevated to cardinal status.

   2014, A. D. Wright, The Early Modern Papacy

   At that point, you have to elevate the account's rights, activate the feature, and then demote the account again.

   2014, Guy W. Lecky-Thompson, Inside SharePoint 2007 Administration, page 55

   Synonyms: exalt, promote, advance, aggrandize, dignify, ennoble, exalt, honor · Antonyms: demote, abase, bring down to size, cut down to size, debase, defame, degrade, demean

   1. transitivecomputingTo temporarily grant a program additional security privileges to the system to perform a privileged action (usually on the program's request).

      Did you forget that all programs that modify the registry need to be elevated?

      Synonyms: exalt, promote, advance, aggrandize, dignify, ennoble, exalt, honor · Antonyms: demote, abase, bring down to size, cut down to size, debase, defame, degrade, demean

3. transitiveTo confer honor or nobility on (someone).

   The traditional worldview elevates man as the pinnacle of creation.

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   For loftie type of honour through the glaunce Of enuies dart, is downe in dust prostrate;

   1591, Edmund Spenser, “Virgils Gnat” in Complaints, London: William Ponsonbie, That none, whom fortune freely doth aduaunce, Himselfe therefore to heauen should eleuate

   Synonyms: ennoble, exalt, honor, advance, aggrandize, dignify, ennoble, exalt

4. transitiveTo make (something or someone) more worthy or of greater value.

   A talented chef can elevate everyday ingredients into gourmet delights.

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   […] if you encourage a young Beginner, who knows but he may elevate his stile a little,

   1682, John Dryden, “Epistle to the Whigs”, in The Medal, Edinburgh

   He is the true artist, who copies nature; but, where he finds her mean, elevates her from his own ideas of beauty.

   1768, William Gilpin, chapter 1, in An Essay upon Prints, London: J. Robson, page 33

   You can’t think how it elevates him in my opinion, to know for certain that he’s really conscientious!

   1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC

5. transitiveTo direct (the mind, thoughts, etc.) toward more worthy things.

   On the whole I would regard serious art as a means to elevate the emotions and educate the spirit […]

   1999, Ahdaf Soueif, chapter 18, in The Map of Love, New York: Anchor Books, published 2000

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   […] the devout Christian improves the Blessings he receives of this inferiour World, to elevate his mind above it:

   1665, Robert Boyle, Occasional Reflections upon Several Subjects, London: Henry Herringman, Section 4, Chapter 4, pp. 73-74

6. transitiveTo increase the intensity or degree of (something).

   Some drugs have the side effect of elevating your blood sugar level.

   Synonyms: increase, raise, accelerate, accrue, aggrandize, augment, embiggen, enhance · Antonyms: decrease, diminish, lower, reduce, decrease, diminish, drop, fall

   1. datedtransitiveTo increase the loudness of (a sound, especially one's voice).

      […] the Uncle had more than once elevated his Voice, so as to be heard down Stairs;

      1749, Henry Fielding, chapter 10, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book XIV, page 191

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      “We’ll see to that,” Wolf Larsen answered, and elevated his voice in a call of “Cooky!”

      1904, Jack London, chapter 3, in The Sea-Wolf (Macmillan’s Standard Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC, page 20

      Synonyms: increase, raise, accelerate, accrue, aggrandize, augment, embiggen, enhance · Antonyms: decrease, diminish, lower, reduce, decrease, diminish, drop, fall

7. obsoletetransitiveTo lift the spirits of (someone)

   1759, Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Edinburgh: A. Kincaid and J. Bell, Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 1, p. 20, It gives us the spleen […] to see another too happy or too much elevated, as we call it, with any little piece of good fortune.

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   […] Hope elevates, and joy Bright’ns his Crest,

   1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 633-634

   Synonyms: cheer up, elate, beatify, enrapture, begladden, blissen, bright, cheer · Antonyms: depress, sadden, aggrieve, attrist, begloom, begrieve, besorrow, grieve

8. colloquialdatedhumorousTo intoxicate in a slight degree; to make (someone) tipsy.

   [Johnson,] from drinking only water, supposed every body who drank wine to be elevated

   1791, James Boswell, “(please specify the year)”, in James Boswell, editor, The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. […], London: […] Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, […], →OCLC

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   Steele entertained them till he was tipsy; when the same wine that stupified him, only served to elevate Addison, who took up the ball just as Steele dropt it, and kept it up for the rest of the evening.

   1755 October 23, George Colman, Bonnell Thornton, The Connoisseur, volume 2, number 91, London: R. Baldwin, published 1756, page 557

   […] the elevated Cavaliers […] sent to Roger Raine of the Peveril Arms […] for two tubs of merry stingo

   1822, [Walter Scott], chapter III, in Peveril of the Peak. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 92

9. LatinismobsoleteTo attempt to make (something) seem less important, remarkable, etc.

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   1660, Jeremy Taylor, Ductor Dubitantium, London: Richard Royston, Volume 1, Chapter 4, Rule 2, p. 126, […] the Arabian Physicians […] endevour to elevate and lessen the thing [i.e. belief in the virgin birth of Jesus], by saying, It is not wholly beyond the force of nature, that a Virgin should conceive […]

   Synonyms: lessen, detract, disparage, abase, avile, debase, debauch, degrade

comparative more elevate · superlative most elevate

1. obsoleteElevated, raised aloft.

   1548, Edward Hall, The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke, London: Richard Grafton, Henry VII, year 6, The sayde crosse was .iii. tymes deuoutly eleuate, and at euery exaltacion, ye Moores beyng within the cytie, roared, howled and cryed,

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   Others apart sat on a Hill retir’d, In thoughts more elevate,

   1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 567-578