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

Then, after first-round losses in 2022 (against Tampa) and last season (Boston) — and a very short, underwhelming trip to Round 2 in 2023 (Florida) — those folks hoped that maybe, finally, the core would get a facelift last summer. —James Mirtle, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Even the outdoor areas have gotten a facelift, with new furnishings, patio umbrellas and recanvassed cabanas surrounded by fresh greenery. —David Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Rafael Luhrs/Courtesy of Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta All 244 guest rooms in the resort’s North Tower got a facelift, featuring new interior design elements such as custom woodwork, upgraded ocean-view balconies, and sliding glass doors. —Mae Hamilton, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2025

Traditional cruise ships are also getting a facelift. —Jessica Benavides Canepa, AFAR Media, 17 Apr. 2025

In Hallmark’s first entry into the renovation genre, Macfarlane and designer Olivia Westbrooks take viewers inside homes that are overdue for a facelift and then proceed to use their talents to update the residence while still keeping the history and uniqueness of the home intact. —Anne Easton, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

For facelifts, you’re probably used to hearing about this procedure being done on women of a certain age. —Essence, 17 Mar. 2025

This annual ranking highlights the nation's leading plastic surgeons across five major procedure categories: breast augmentation, facelift, liposuction, rhinoplasty and eyelid surgery. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025

Her procedures included a deep plane facelift, deep necklift, browlift, upper and lower blepharoplasty, fat transfer, lip lift, earlobe reduction and CO2 laser resurfacing. —Hedy Phillips, People.com, 8 Apr. 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