Meanings
verblift all boats (third-person singular simple present lifts all boats, present participle lifting all boats, simple past and past participle lifted all boats)
present singular third person lifts all boats · participle present lifting all boats · participle past lifted all boats · past lifted all boats
- idiomaticTo benefit all participants; to have a wide-ranging positive effect.
“The strong demand for labor has lifted all boats in the American economy and we are no exception,” Price said.
2000 July 26, Paul Shepard, “Report on black Americans both encouraging and sobering”, in Arlington Star-Telegram, volume 95, number 92, page 4A
Origin
From the proverb a rising tide lifts all boats.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 水漲船高 /水涨船高
- 水漲船高 /水涨船高 (shuǐzhǎngchuángāo)benefit all participants
Finnish auttaa kaikkia, auttaa jokaista
- auttaa kaikkiabenefit all participants
- auttaa jokaistabenefit all participants
Cite this entry
APA
lift all boats. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lift%20all%20boats
MLA
“lift all boats.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lift%20all%20boats. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lift all boats,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lift%20all%20boats.
Source: lift all boats on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.