facelift

noun

face·​lift ˈfās-ˌlift 

variants or face lift or face-lift

plural facelifts or face lifts or face-lifts

1

: plastic surgery on the face and neck to remove or reduce signs of aging (such as wrinkles or sagging skin)

[Robert] Redford's publicist of 33 years, Lois Smith, denies her client has had any sort of facelift, eye job or chemical peel. "He's never, never, never had cosmetic surgery," she says.

—People Weekly

Many face lifts last between five and 10 years, but the procedure can cause hematomas, bleeding and nerve damage …

—Mary Murphy

Technically, a face-lift "lifts" both the face and the neck, and many plastic surgeons believe the neck shows the more dramatic improvement.

—Vogue

2

: an alteration, restoration, or restyling (as of a building) intended especially to modernize

The facelift was intended to return the 95-year-old hall's acclaimed acoustics to original purity …

—US News & World Report

Over time, the building was given a $15 million face lift, which created a new entrance on Fifth Avenue, subdued but plush interiors and escalators.

—Carrie Donovan

All 48 models from kids bikes to $3,000 racing bikes were redesigned … and each got a color and graphics face-lift.

—Laura Loro

facelift transitive verb

or face-lift or less commonly face lift

facelifted or face-lifted also face lifted; facelifting or face-lifting also face lifting; facelifts or face-lifts also face lifts

… said she would like to add more parking and continue to work on facelifting the venue.

—Dean Manning

… a former vaudeville palace recently face-lifted into a glittering performing arts center.

—Priit Vesilind

Examples of facelift in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Titles like Streets of Rage 4 (2020) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (2022) may have given their classic franchises a facelift, but their success mostly stems from sticking to what’s always worked: punch, kick, progress, with a couple of quality-of-life tweaks tucked in. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2025

Among the patients opting for a facelift was Kimberly Bongiorno, a local government land use administrator from Mount Arlington, New Jersey. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 30 July 2025

So far, besides some new paint, a carpet cleaning and signs, the Park District hasn’t spent much on the facelift. —Jesse Wright, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2025

The treatments sought after their weight loss include injectable dermal fillers to help restore facial volume, facelifts and fat transfers. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 30 July 2025

During Kelly's June procedure, Dr. Nayak did a deep plane facelift, deep neck lift, brow lift, rhinoplasty, fat transfer to her temples and full face laser resurfacing. —Hedy Phillips, People.com, 29 July 2025

The facelift of the Fort Frankfort playground in Commissioners Park, 22108 S. 80th Ave., began in December and Park District officials hope a majority of the work will be completed by Labor Day, Sept. 1. —Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2025

This specific pitch was long considered one of the worst surfaces to play on in the NFL but received a major facelift before the 2023 NFL season that included a new turf selection. —Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 14 June 2025

Private credit markets are getting a Web3 facelift. —Forbes.com, 9 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for facelift

• adrift
• airlift
• festschrift
• forklift
• gearshift
• makeshift
• redshift
• sealift
• snowdrift
• spendthrift
• clift
• drift

Kids Definition

face-lift

noun

ˈfā-ˌslift

1

: plastic surgery on the face and neck to remove defects and imperfections (as wrinkles or sagging skin)

2

: an alteration, restoration, or remodeling (as of a building) intended especially to make more modern

face-lift verb

Medical Definition

facelift

noun

face·​lift

variants or face lift or face-lift

ˈfā-ˌslift 

: plastic surgery on the face and neck to remove or reduce signs of aging (such as wrinkles or sagging skin)

called also rhytidectomy

facelift transitive verb

or face-lift also face lift