Meaning & use
lift
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To raise something or someone to a higher position.
Grammar: Takes an object: lift the box.
Patterns
- lift something up
- lift something onto something
Can you help me lift this suitcase onto the rack?
She lifted the child so he could see the parade.
He lifted his arms above his head.
verbtransitive
To remove or end a restriction or rule.
Grammar: Takes an object: lift a ban.
Patterns
- lift a ban
- lift restrictions
The city will lift the travel ban next week.
They lifted the curfew at midnight.
Officials lifted the water restrictions after the rain.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To make someone feel happier or more cheerful, or to rise and disappear, as clouds or a mood do.
Grammar: Transitive for people or moods: the news lifted my spirits; intransitive for fog: the fog lifted.
Patterns
- lift someone's spirits
- lift your mood
The good news lifted everyone's spirits.
Her smile lifted my mood.
By noon, the fog had lifted.
nouncountableBritish
A box-like machine that carries people up and down between floors of a building.
Grammar: British English; American English uses elevator.
Patterns
- take the lift
- in the lift
Take the lift to the fifth floor.
The lift is out of order today.
We waited by the lift.
nouncountableBritish
A free ride in someone's car.
Grammar: Used with give and get: give someone a lift.
Patterns
- give someone a lift
- get a lift
Can you give me a lift to the station?
I got a lift from my neighbor.
She offered us a lift home.
nouncountable
A feeling of cheerfulness, or an act of raising something.
Grammar: Often singular: a lift in spirits.
Patterns
- give someone a lift
The compliment gave her a real lift.
The weightlifter's lift set a new record.
A cup of coffee gave me a lift.
Word forms
| third person singular | lifts |
|---|---|
| past tense | lifted |
| past participle | lifted |
| -ing form | lifting |
| plural | lifts |
Common combinations
- lift a ban
- The government will lift the ban soon.
- give someone a lift
- I'll give you a lift to work.
- lift weights
- He lifts weights three times a week.
- lift someone's spirits
- Music lifts my spirits.
- take the lift
- We took the lift to the top.
- heavy lifting
- Her team does the heavy lifting.
Synonyms and how they differ
- raise
- Raise often stresses reaching a higher level, while lift stresses picking up.
- elevator
- Elevator is the American word for lift in buildings.
- ride
- Ride is the American way to say a lift in a car.
- hoist
- Hoist means to lift something heavy, usually with rope or equipment.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: lift or lef?
lift vs lef
Not a word; learners may misspell lift as left, which is a different word.
Practice
The government decided to ___ the restrictions after the emergency ended.
Choose one answer.
To lift restrictions means to end them. Hold, tighten and carry do not describe ending a rule.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lift”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.