lift a finger

idiom

: to make an effort to do something

—usually used in negative statements

I have so many chores to do, and my sister won't lift a finger to help me.

He never lifted a finger to try to improve his failing grades.

Examples of lift a finger in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Buyers hardly need to lift a finger, except to choose options and colors. —David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024

The strong man was rich and had hardly needed to lift a finger. —Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

But one thing is clear: Contrary to what Harris said, Republican lawmakers didn’t have to lift a finger to put the 1849 provisions back into effect. —Journal Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2024

Yet, did Congress lift a finger in 2023 to help kids get out of poverty? —Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2024

The Bissell Little Green Upholstery Cleaner tackles tough stains on your couch or carpet, while the half-off iRobot Roomba robot vacuum drives and empties itself—no need to lift a finger. —Phoebe Sklansky, Parents, 17 Nov. 2023

Early on, however, my female cousins reached a consensus that our tías wouldn’t lift a finger to feed anyone in the two weeks of mourning between my grandmother’s death on July 15 and her funeral on Aug. 3. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2023

How can Leon possibly be expected to lift a finger or even flash a smile? —Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2023

We were spoiled by in-house chefs, and never had to lift a finger. —Jackie Caradonio, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2023