uplift

1 of 2

verb

up·​lift (ˌ)əp-ˈlift 

uplifted; uplifting; uplifts

transitive verb

1

: to lift up : elevate

especially : to cause (a portion of the earth's surface) to rise above adjacent areas

2

: to improve the spiritual, social, or intellectual condition of

intransitive verb

: rise

uplifter noun

uplift

2 of 2

noun

up·​lift ˈəp-ˌlift 

1

: an act, process, result, or cause of uplifting: such as

a(1)

: the uplifting of a part of the earth's surface

(2)

: an uplifted mass of land

b

: a bettering of a condition especially spiritually, socially, or intellectually

c(1)

: influences intended to uplift

(2)

: a social movement to improve especially morally or culturally

2

: a brassiere designed to hold the breasts up

Synonyms

Verb

• lift
• elevate
• raise

Examples of uplift in a Sentence

Verb

music that uplifts the soul

geologic forces that uplifted the mountains

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

These gifts serve the students, advance research and uplift the entire Louisville community. —Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025

The Commodores will be fully expecting to win, uplifted even further by an imperfect victory. —Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025

Noun

The convergence associated with this subduction process is responsible for the uplift of the Andes Mountains, and for the active volcanic chain present along much of this deformation front. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025

Tailored for hyperscale data centers, cloud providers, and telcos, Xeon 6+ features up to 288 E-cores and a 17% uplift in Instructions Per Cycle (IPC) over the prior generation. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

uplift

1 of 2 verb

up·​lift (ˌ)əp-ˈlift 

1

: to lift up : elevate

2

: to improve the spiritual, mental, or social condition of

uplift

2 of 2 noun

up·​lift ˈəp-ˌlift 

1

: an act, process, or result of uplifting

especially : the uplifting of a part of the earth's surface

2

: moral or social improvement or a movement to make such improvement