lift
verb /lɪft/
/lɪft/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they lift | /lɪft/ /lɪft/ |
| he / she / it lifts | /lɪfts/ /lɪfts/ |
| past simple lifted | /ˈlɪftɪd/ /ˈlɪftɪd/ |
| past participle lifted | /ˈlɪftɪd/ /ˈlɪftɪd/ |
| -ing form lifting | /ˈlɪftɪŋ/ /ˈlɪftɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to raise somebody/something or be raised to a higher position or level
- lift somebody/something I lifted the lid of the box and peered in.
- She lifted her head to look at him.
- lift somebody/something up He lifted the toddler up and cuddled her.
- lift somebody/something (up) + adv./prep. He stood there with his arms lifted above his head.
- (figurative) John lifted his eyes (= looked up) from his book.
- Her eyebrows lifted. ‘Apologize? Why?’
Extra Examples- Her head lifted sharply
- Juliet nodded, lifting her face to David's.
- The box was so heavy I could barely lift it.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- almost
- half
- fractionally
- …
- can barely
- can hardly
- try to
- …
- above
- down
- from
- …
- [transitive] lift somebody/something + adv./prep. to take hold of somebody/something and move them/it to a different position
- I lifted the baby out of the chair.
- He lifted the suitcase down from the rack.
Extra Examples- Carefully lift the cake off the tray and cool on a wire rack.
- He felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
- He hugged her, almost lifting her off the ground.
- She lifted the book up off the table.
- She lifted the child over the fence.
- She was lifted bodily aboard by two sailors.
- She leaned on him and he half lifted her down the stairs.
- She lifted back the sheet.
- The heavy beams were lifted into place.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- almost
- half
- fractionally
- …
- can barely
- can hardly
- try to
- …
- above
- down
- from
- …
- [transitive] lift somebody/something (+ adv./prep.) to transport people or things by air
- The survivors were lifted to safety by helicopter.
- [transitive] lift somebody/something (out of something) to give somebody/something the ability to escape from a difficult situation
- The best way to lift nations out of poverty is through trade.
- [transitive] lift something to remove or end controls or limits
- The government decided to lift the ban on arms exports.
- to lift sanctions/restrictions
- The US remained opposed to lifting the embargo.
- Martial law has now been lifted.
- The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- partially
- agree to
- decide to
- vote to
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] to become or make somebody more cheerful
- His heart lifted at the sight of her.
- lift something The news lifted our spirits.
- [intransitive] to rise and disappear synonym disperse
- The fog began to lift.
- (figurative) Gradually my depression started to lift.
- The fog suddenly lifted.
- [transitive] lift something (from somebody/something) (informal) to steal something
- He had been lifting electrical goods from the store where he worked.
- [transitive] lift something (from something) to use somebody’s ideas or words without asking permission or without saying where they come from
- She lifted most of the ideas from a book she had been reading.
- lines lifted from a famous poem
- [transitive] lift something to dig up vegetables or plants from the ground
- to lift potatoes
- [transitive, intransitive] lift (something) to make the amount or level of something greater; to become greater in amount or level
- Interest rates were lifted yesterday.
- The redevelopment along the river should help lift property prices in the area.
raise
move somebody/something
remove law/rule
heart/spirits
of mist/clouds
steal
copy ideas/words
vegetables
increase
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old Norse lypta, of Germanic origin; related to loft.
Idioms
not lift/raise a finger/hand (to do something)
- (informal) to do nothing to help somebody
- The children never lift a finger to help around the house.