levitate

verb

lev·​i·​tate ˈle-və-ˌtāt 

levitated; levitating

intransitive verb

: to rise or float in or as if in the air especially in seeming defiance of gravitation

transitive verb

: to cause to levitate

Examples of levitate in a Sentence

The woman levitated above the stage.

The magician claimed he could levitate a car.

Recent Examples on the Web

But this is no medical ward here, and no remote-control levitating mattress, a decision made by the city Department of Corrections that rankles his defenders. —Phoebe Eaton, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025

There’s something playful, almost primitive, about the urge to bound yourself forward through space, your body briefly levitating with each stride. —The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2025

When a droplet was squashed by moving the acoustic hardware closer together, smaller droplets started to split off its surface and levitate around it. —Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025

According to some accounts, Francis was able to levitate and appear in two locations at once. —Emily Harnett, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably by back-formation from levitation, by analogy with gravitate : gravitation

First Known Use

1673, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for levitate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

levitate

verb

lev·​i·​tate ˈlev-ə-ˌtāt 

: to rise or cause to rise in the air in seeming defiance of gravity