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

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

Think of it as the perfect complement to a facelift—an ideal annual tune-up to help maintain a refreshed, youthful look. —Meggen Harris, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025

Here are the streets scheduled to get a facelift: Carver Drive, from Prevost Street to Hervie Street: Construction is scheduled to begin this month and wrap up by January 2026. —Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2025

From facelifts to hair transplants, more Americans are visiting Turkey for elective medical procedures. —Christopher Elliott, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025

The pricey facelift added a 39th floor above the existing penthouse to make room for a gym and sun deck while chopping up apartments on the lower levels to create dozens of more units, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time. —Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 5 Mar. 2025

Barring no shocking trades.. D Doug F. · 1h 16m ago The defense is in need of a facelift as the forwards. —Arthur Staple, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025

The $5 million Athletic Complex facelift would have included renovations to the concession sales area, as well as a new field lighting system and new playground equipment. —Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 9 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