lift

1 /lIft/ verb

1 MOVE STH WITH YOUR HANDS (T) to take something in your hands and raise it, move it, or carry it somewhere: He tried to lift the sleeping girl, but she was too heavy. | lift sth onto/out of/off etc: I lifted down my suitcase and opened it.

-see raise 1

2 RAISE also lift up (I, T) to move something upwards, into the air, or to move upwards into the air: He lifted both hands in a gesture of despair. | At high speeds the front of the boat would lift out of the water.

3 HEAD/EYES (T) to move your head or eyes upwards so that you can look at someone or something: Brig lifted his head as the others came into the room. | She lifted her gaze from her book for a minute.

4 CONTROLS/LAWS (T) to remove a rule or a law that says that something is not allowed: the lifting of sanctions

5 CLOUDS/MIST (I) if cloud or mist lifts, it disappears

6 BY PLANE (T) to take people or things to or from a place by aircraft: More troops are being lifted into the area as the fighting spreads.

7 not lift a finger informal to do nothing to help

8 lift sb's spirits to make someone feel more cheerful and hopeful

9 SAD FEELINGS (I) if feelings of sadness lift, they disappear: Jan's depression seemed to be lifting at last.

10 USE SB'S IDEAS/WORDS (T) to copy words, ideas, music etc that someone else has written: The words were lifted from an article in a medical journal.

11 STEAL (T) informal to steal something

12 VOICE also lift up (T) literary if you lift your voice, you speak, shout, or sing more loudly

13 INCREASE (T) to increase the amount or level of something: This policy lifted Canadian exports of wheat and flour.

14 VEGETABLES (T) to dig up vegetables that grow under the ground: lifting potatoes

lift off phrasal verb (T) if an aircraft or space vehicle lifts off, it leaves the ground and rises into the air 2 noun

1 IN A BUILDING (C) BrE a machine that you can ride in, that moves up and down between the floors in a tall building; elevator (1) AmE: She pressed the button to call the lift. | take the lift: They took the lift down to the bar.

2 IN A CAR (C) BrE if you give someone a lift, you take them somewhere in your car; ride 2 (1) AmE: Do you want a lift into town? | give sb a lift: I'll give you a lift back to London.

3 MAKE SB HAPPIER give sb a lift to make someone feel more cheerful and more hopeful

4 LIFTING MOVEMENT a movement in which something is lifted or raised up: the gentle lift and sway of the dinghy

5 WIND/AIRCRAFT (U) the pressure of air that keeps something up in the air or lifts it higher

-see also: chairlift, ski lift