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

Nearly sixty years ago, the architect Lina Bo Bardi put the finishing touches on her own levitating concrete museum, Brazil’s Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP). — Katy Barkan, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Sound waves have previously been used to levitate objects in mid-air, but the EPFL team wanted to convert sound into propulsive force. — ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026

Geim won an Ig Nobel Prize in 2000 for levitating a frog and then, 10 years later, received the Nobel Prize for Physics for a completely different discovery. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026

His adjustments to poor throws at Auburn often presented the illusion that Coleman was levitating before contorting to make a spectacular play. — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 15 July 2026

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
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

levitate

verb

lev·​i·​tate ˈlev-ə-ˌtāt 

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