/ 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 .