LIFT


Meaning of LIFT in English

/ lɪft; NAmE / verb , noun

■ verb

RAISE

1.

lift sb/sth (up) to raise sb/sth or be raised to a higher position or level :

[ vn , usually + adv. / prep. ]

He stood there with his arms lifted above his head.

I lifted the lid of the box and peered in.

( figurative )

John lifted his eyes (= looked up) from his book.

[ v ]

Her eyebrows lifted. 'Apologize? Why?'

MOVE SB / STH

2.

[ vn , usually + adv. / prep. ] to take hold of sb/sth and move them / it to a different position :

I lifted the baby out of the chair.

He lifted the suitcase down from the rack.

3.

[ vn ] to transport people or things by air :

The survivors were lifted to safety by helicopter.

—see also airlift

REMOVE LAW / RULE

4.

[ vn ] to remove or end restrictions :

to lift a ban / curfew / blockade

Martial law has now been lifted.

HEART / SPIRITS

5.

to become or make sb more cheerful :

[ v ]

His heart lifted at the sight of her.

[ vn ]

The news lifted our spirits.

OF MIST / CLOUDS

6.

[ v ] to rise and disappear

SYN disperse :

The fog began to lift.

( figurative )

Gradually my depression started to lift.

STEAL

7.

[ vn ] lift sth (from sb/sth) ( informal ) to steal sth :

He had been lifting electrical goods from the store where he worked.

—see also shoplift

COPY IDEAS / WORDS

8.

[ vn ] to use sb's ideas or words without asking permission or without saying where they come from

SYN plagiarize :

She lifted most of the ideas from a book she had been reading.

VEGETABLES

9.

[ vn ] to dig up vegetables or plants from the ground :

to lift potatoes

INCREASE

10.

to make the amount or level of sth greater; to become greater in amount or level :

[ vn ]

Interest rates were lifted yesterday.

[also v ]

IDIOMS

- not lift / raise a finger / hand (to do sth)

PHRASAL VERBS

- lift off

■ noun

MACHINE

1.

( BrE ) ( NAmE ele·va·tor ) [ C ] a machine that carries people or goods up and down to different levels in a building or a mine :

It's on the sixth floor—let's take the lift .

—see also chairlift , drag lift , ski lift

FREE RIDE

2.

( BrE ) ( NAmE ride ) [ C ] a free ride in a car, etc. to a place you want to get to :

I'll give you a lift to the station.

She hitched a lift on a truck.

HAPPIER FEELING

3.

[ sing. ] a feeling of being happier or more confident than before

SYN boost :

Passing the exam gave him a real lift.

RISING MOVEMENT

4.

[ sing. ] a movement in which sth rises or is lifted up :

the puzzled lift of his eyebrows

ON AIRCRAFT

5.

[ U ] the upward pressure of air on an aircraft when flying

—compare drag

••

WORD ORIGIN

Middle English : from Old Norse lypta , of Germanic origin; related to loft .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.