Lifted Lift Lɪft I Lifting Box Head Arms

• i lifted the lid of the box and peered in.
• she lifted her head to look at him.
• he lifted the toddler up and cuddled her.
• he stood there with his arms lifted above his head.

lift

Verb Forms

1. to raise somebody/something or be raised to a higher position or level
• I lifted the lid of the box and peered in.
• She lifted her head to look at him.
• He lifted the toddler up and cuddled her.
• He stood there with his arms lifted above his head.
• 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.
2. 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.
3. to transport people or things by air
• The survivors were lifted to safety by helicopter.
4. to give somebody/something the ability to escape from a difficult situation
• The best way to lift nations out of poverty is through trade.
5. 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.
6. to become or make somebody more cheerful
• His heart lifted at the sight of her.
• The news lifted our spirits.
7. to rise and disappear
• SYNONYM disperse
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/disperse
• The fog began to lift.
• Gradually my depression started to lift.
• The fog suddenly lifted.
8. to steal something
• SEE ALSO shoplifting
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/shoplifting
• He had been lifting electrical goods from the store where he worked.
9. to use somebody’s ideas or words without asking permission or without saying where they come from
• COMPARE plagiarize
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/plagiarize
• She lifted most of the ideas from a book she had been reading.
• lines lifted from a famous poem
10. to dig up vegetables or plants from the ground
• to lift potatoes
11. 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.
12. to do nothing to help somebody
• The children never lift a finger to help around the house.

Word Origin

• Middle English: from Old Norse lypta, of Germanic origin; related to loft.