lift

present singular third person lifts · participle present lifting · past lifted · participle past lifted · obsolete participle past yleft

1. ambitransitiveTo raise or rise.

   You never lift a finger to help me!

   5 more examples

   The fog eventually lifted, leaving the streets clear.

   c. 1490, Of Penance and Confession be master Jhon Yrlandː Liftand (lifting) thy hands and thy eyen to Heaven.

   Their walk had continued not more than ten minutes when they crossed a creek by a wooden bridge and came to a row of mean houses standing flush with the street. 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 […], →OCLC

   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

   A long, late-night tracking shot from one end of the Neon Boot bar to another actually tracks along the surface of the bar itself—and when there is a drunk passed out on the bar, the camera simply lifts up and flies over him, then continues on its route.

   1984 October 12, Janet Maslin, “Blood Simple, A black-comic romp”, in The New York Times, retrieved 09 Jul 2012

   1. ambitransitivetransitiveTo 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. slangtransitiveTo 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

   1 more example

   “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 him unhappy. He probably thoroughly enjoys lifting the stuff.”

   1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter VI, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC

3. slangtransitiveTo 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. slangtransitiveTo 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. transitiveTo remove (a ban, restriction, etc.).
6. transitiveTo 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. ScotlandespeciallyintransitiveTo 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

   3 more examples

   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

   But Miss Macnee had one important move in reserve. She saw the company was about to 'lift,' as she was pleased to term it, and this move must be made before they separated.

   1891, Henry Johnston (barrister.), Kilmallie, page 55

   "Since when, Willy?" Margrédel led him. "Since the regiment lifted." […] She knew that [the person] had left with his regiment.

   1894, David Storrar Meldrum, The Story of Margrédel: Being a Fireside History of a Fifeshire Family, page 228

8. informalintransitiveTo 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 heavy

   a. 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.

    being lifted up with pride

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Timothy 3:6

    1 more example

    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

11. obsoleteTo 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.
13. transitivecategory theoryGiven 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. transitivecategory theoryTo 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

14. businessTo buy a security or other asset previously offered for sale.
15. transitivehobbiesTo 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

plural lifts

1. countableuncountableAn act of lifting or raising.
2. countableuncountableThe act of transporting someone in a vehicle; a ride; a trip.

   He gave me a lift to the bus station.

   1 more example

   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. AustraliaIndiaNew ZealandUKcountableuncountablepuristic elsewhereA mechanical device for vertically transporting goods or people between floors in a building.

   Take the lift to the fourth floor.

   1 more example

   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. countableuncountableA mechanical device for raising vehicles for service, so that it is easier for a mechanic to get beneath them.
5. countableuncountableAn upward force; especially, the force (generated by wings, rotary wings, or airfoils) that keeps aircraft aloft.
6. countableuncountablehobbiesAny 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. countableuncountablemeasurementThe difference in elevation between the upper pool and lower pool of a waterway, separated by lock.
8. countablehistoricalslanguncountableA 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. countableuncountabledanceThe lifting of a dance partner into the air.
10. countableuncountablePermanent construction with a built-in platform that is lifted vertically.
11. countablefigurativelyuncountableAn 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

    2 more examples

    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

    The dismissal of a player who left Arsenal for Manchester City before joining Tottenham gave the home players and fans a noticeable lift.

    2012 November 17, “Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport

12. countableuncountableThe amount or weight to be lifted.

    What's the maximum lift of this crane?

13. countableuncountableThe space or distance through which anything is lifted.
14. countableuncountableA rise; a degree of elevation.

    the lift of a lock in canals

15. countableuncountableA liftgate.
16. countableuncountablenauticalA rope leading from the masthead to the extremity of a yard below, and used for raising or supporting the end of the yard.
17. countableuncountableengineeringOne of the steps of a cone pulley.
18. countableuncountableshoemakingA layer of leather in the heel of a shoe.
19. countableuncountablehobbiesThat 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 lift

    1887, Claudius Saunier, A Treatise on Modern Horology in Theory and Practice

20. countableuncountablecategory theoryA 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

21. countableuncountablebroadcastingA shorter extract from a commercial/advertisement, able to be used on its own.

plural lifts

1. ScotlandUKdialectaluncountableusuallyAir.
2. ScotlandUKdialectaluncountableusuallyThe 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