See Also: ski lift(dictionary)
lift-off(dictionary)
lift(encyclopedia)
lift(dictionary)
lift-off(dictionary)
lift(2)(dictionary)
lift(1)(dictionary)
Lift(finance)
Lift(money)
lift(medicine)

lift (iou)



lift verb. ME.
[Old Norse lypta = Middle High German, German luften, from Germanic base of LIFT noun1.]
verb trans. Raise into the air from the ground, or to a higher position, hoist (also foll. by up, aloft, etc.); pick up and bring to a lower position (usu. foll. by down); pick up and bring out etc. ME.
E. O'Neill Lifting Mary to the floor. R. G. Collingwood I felt as if a veil had been lifted and my destiny revealed. A. Paton He..lifts her from the floor to the chair. G. Orwell He lay flat on his belly and tried to lift his weight by his hands. Observer This has to be lifted up and down when inserting paper. N. Luard The Belgian unlocked the trunk, stood by the porter while he lifted out two suitcases.
b. Bear, support. rare. Only in L16.
c. Take up and hold or carry, pick up; Golf pick up (a ball) during play. See also sense 6 below. L16.
D. Storey Pulling at his mother's skirt and asking to be lifted.
d. Help (sick or weak cattle) to stand up. Earlier as LIFTING noun 2. L19.
e. Perform cosmetic surgery on (esp. the face or breasts) to reduce sagging; perform a face-lift on. E20.
f. Sport. Win, carry off, (a prize, trophy, etc.). E20.
Belfast Telegraph The third Second Division side in five years to lift the FA cup.
g. Printing. Raise (lines of type), esp. in moving types from a composing-stick to a galley, or in preparation for the distribution of used type. M20.
verb trans. fig. Elevate to a higher plane of thought or feeling; stimulate morally or spiritually, uplift. Freq. foll. by up. ME.
Steele It lifts an heavy empty Sentence, when there is added to it a lascivious Gesture of Body. J. Carlyle With so rich a husband she would be able to lift them out of all their difficulties. P. H. Kocher He..is lifted up to live above himself.
b. Raise in dignity, rank, or estimation; exalt. Also foll. by up. Now rare. ME.
H. L. Mencken Those of the academic moiety seldom lift themselves above the level of mere pedagogues.
c. Cheer (up), encourage. Also (arch.), make arrogant, puff up (with pride). LME.
Bible (AV): 2 Chronicles 26:16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted vp to his destruction. G. Boycott You take brilliant catches standing back, you lift and inspire the team.
d. Raise in price, value, or amount. E20.
Times Better than expected trading news from Reed International lifted the price 16p to 254p.
verb intrans. Rise; esp. (of a ship etc.) rise when riding on the waves. Also, admit of being raised (up). LME.
R. Kipling The big liner rolled and lifted. Daily Express The window-seat top lifts up. Times Hopes of future Government contracts caused the shares to lift 3p to 63p.
b. Be or become visible above or against a surrounding landscape. L16.
H. Belloc The chestnuts made a dark belt from which the tall graces of the birches lifted.
c. Of a floor etc.: swell or warp upwards; bulge. L18.
d. Nautical. Of a sail: ruffle slightly when caught by the wind on the leech. E19.
E. Peacock The thick fog had lifted. J. C. Oates One of those..storms that can last for a week without lifting.
e. Of clouds, fog, etc.: disperse, rise. Also (N. Amer.), of rain etc.: cease temporarily. M19.
f. Printing. Of a forme of type: stay in one piece when raised from the surface on which it has been assembled. M19.
g. Of an aircraft etc.: rise off or off the ground. L19.
H. G. Wells The a?ropile..lifted clean and rose. Scientific American On July 21, 1969, Eagle lifted off from the moon.
h. Rise in tone or volume of sound. E20.
J. Galsworthy The sounds of conversation lifting round him.
verb trans. Take up or collect (rents or moneys) as due; levy (contributions, fines, etc.); draw (wages, profits, etc.). Now dial. LME.
verb trans. Carve (a swan). LME-E19.
verb trans. Pick up (a portable object) with dishonest intentions; steal (esp. cattle); steal (something) from a shop etc. slang. E16.
R. Kipling He has lifted the Colonel's mare that is the Colonel's pride. T. Keneally She got six months for lifting a..figurine from a store. E. Reveley He had had to resort to..lifting a wallet like a common pick-pocket.
b. Plagiarize (a passage, title, etc.). colloq. E20.
Clive James The lines about Leonidas are lifted straight from the Imitations version of Rauben's 'Die Tauben'.
verb intrans. Foll. by at: pull at (something) in an attempt at raising (lit. & fig.); rise in opposition to. M16-E18.
J. Locke Like the Body strain'd by lifting at a Weight too heavy.
verb trans. Take up and remove, take away; drive (cattle) away or to market; strike (a tent etc.); Scot. remove (a corpse) for burial or cremation; fig. discontinue, remove, (restrictions, an embargo, etc.). M16.
I. L. Idriess His gang lifted their cattle...and got safely across to the Paroo. Nature If the embargo is..lifted, it will take..weeks for the oil to reach United States ports.
b. verb trans. Hunting. Move (hounds) from a lost scent in order to find the scent again elsewhere. Also, disperse (scent). L18.
J. Masefield The hounds were lifted and on his line.
c. verb trans. Get rid of, pay off (a mortgage). US. M19.
d. verb trans. Give a lift to in a carriage, motor vehicle, etc. L19.
M. Sharp Up she drove, lifted by Mr. Simnel the chemist, Taunton-bound.
e. verb trans. & intrans. Artillery. Increase (the range of fire) from that being used at a given point in an attack. E20.
A. Farrar-Hockley Some aghast to see the supporting artillery fire already lifting ahead of them.
f. verb trans. Of a sheepdog: establish control over a flock of sheep. E20.
g. verb trans. Arrest, take into custody. E20.
Times If you have a father who is lifted, he has sons..who will take his place.
h. verb trans. Evacuate (soldiers) from a beach etc.; air-lift. M20.
J. Masefield The first men lifted were not always soldiers. Daily Telegraph Medical supplies..were being lifted in by helicopter.
i. verb trans. Take an impression of (fingerprints) for identification purposes. US. M20.
verb intrans. Cut a pack of cards to determine the dealer. Now rare or obsolete. L16.
verb trans. Bear or carry in an elevated position; hold high. L17.
Milton There the Capitol thou seest Above the rest lifting his stately head.
verb trans. Take up out of the ground (Scot. in gen. sense); Horticulture dig up (potatoes, bulbs, etc.). M19.
Times Nurseries..cannot lift and pack all their orders in a month.
verb trans. Hit (a ball) into the air; (of a batsman) hit a ball bowled by (a bowler) into the air. L19.
Daily Telegraph W. G. lifted Spofforth round to the leg boundary.
Phrases: lift a finger: see FINGER noun. lift one's elbow = crook one's elbow s.v. CROOK verb 1. lift one's eyes: see lift up one's eyes below. lift one's game improve one's game, begin to play better. lift one's hand spec. raise one's hand in taking an oath, or in hostility against (a person); slang to do a stroke of work (usu. in neg. contexts). lift one's hands: see lift up one's hands below. lift the leg: see LEG noun. lift the roof: see ROOF noun. lift up one's eyes, lift one's eyes give an upward direction to the eyes, look up (lit. & fig.). lift up one's hands, lift one's hands: esp. in prayer, thanksgiving, etc. lift up one's head (a) raise one's head; (b) fig. recover vigour after prostration. lift up one's voice (a) sing, speak; (b) cry out. lift up the head of bring out from prison; restore to liberty, dignity, etc. lift up the heart of raise the thoughts or desires of; encourage. lift up the horn: see HORN noun. lift up the leg: see LEG noun.
Comb.: liftback a type of hatchback car; lift-on adjective made to lift on; lift-on, lift-off, (designating) a method of hoisting containers from one vessel or vehicle to another; lift-out adjective made to lift out; lift-up adjective made to lift up.
liftable adjective (earlier in UNLIFTABLE) M19.