1
as in raising
to move from a lower to a higher place or position
I needed help lifting the heavy globe back up to the top shelf
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rising
to move or extend upward
once the sun started to cut through the morning fog, the colorful hot-air balloons began to lift off from the field
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stealing
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep
she turned her back for just a moment, and somebody lifted her purse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lifting
The Celtics started 1-for-7 from the field and fell behind 11-3 before Mazzulla made his first change, lifting Harper and sending in Payton Pritchard.
—
Zack Cox, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
The brand says the V-design on the back of these wide-leg pants creates a butt-lifting effect.
—Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
But Baranda was optimistic, and told me that the whale was lifting his head and looking up at the rescue crew curiously.
—Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
As for your legs, Behenna recommends ankle pumps—lifting your toes, then your heels—to stretch the calves and keep blood circulating.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 2 May 2026
Officers can be seen lifting crying children from debris in the aftermath.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Unlike a nonrigid airship, in which the envelope is airtight and contains the lifting gas, a rigid airship carries its gas in these internal cells, so the outer covering does not function as the primary gas container.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May 2026
Griffin, meanwhile, can be seen on video holding the knife, and lifting it up above his shoulder.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Sherrill in early April signed a bill lifting the state’s moratorium on nuclear power plant projects.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2026
Zack Cox, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
The brand says the V-design on the back of these wide-leg pants creates a butt-lifting effect.
—Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
But Baranda was optimistic, and told me that the whale was lifting his head and looking up at the rescue crew curiously.
—Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
As for your legs, Behenna recommends ankle pumps—lifting your toes, then your heels—to stretch the calves and keep blood circulating.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 2 May 2026
Officers can be seen lifting crying children from debris in the aftermath.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Unlike a nonrigid airship, in which the envelope is airtight and contains the lifting gas, a rigid airship carries its gas in these internal cells, so the outer covering does not function as the primary gas container.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May 2026
Griffin, meanwhile, can be seen on video holding the knife, and lifting it up above his shoulder.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Sherrill in early April signed a bill lifting the state’s moratorium on nuclear power plant projects.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lifting
Verb
-
Walker was also experiencing a mental health issue and was shot after raising a knife.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Several early tests failed, raising questions about the program’s future.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Firefighters witnessed a rare ‘ash devil’ while battling the Trinity fire in San Bernardino County — a whirling column of hot ash and embers created when rising heat meets shifting winds.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
-
Those on the left see rising costs as an opportunity to advance their big government agenda.—
Star Parker,
Boston Herald,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Officials say the ring targeted vulnerable residents by forging documents, stealing personal information about the real owners and arranging the sales of the properties.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
There's a long way to go before the season gets here and stealing the spotlight on Thursday night during the draft doesn’t guarantee anything.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Jewish Theological Seminary has named Rabbi Mike Uram as its next chancellor, elevating a Jewish educator best known for his time as executive director of the University of Pennsylvania Hillel to lead Conservative Judaism’s flagship university and rabbinical school.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
What was initially thought to be a small number of caves has been proven otherwise through ongoing research, elevating Nottingham’s historical significance (with a reference to Robin Hood attached).—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Archer-Daniels-Midland, the 125-year-old agricultural processor and food ingredient provider, has been climbing quietly and steadily the past 12 months.—
Carter Braxton Worth,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
-
Becerra quickly began climbing in the polls, and is now one of the leading candidates.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Imagine swiping a card at a corner station, unlocking a bicycle, riding to the store or your office or the park or the beach and locking the bike at another station.—
Harry Bubbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In a four-game span, the Philadelphia 76ers star received a technical foul for shoving Donte DiVincenzo, and flagrant fouls for dragging Mitchell Robinson to the floor and swiping Brunson in the head.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The statue depicts a man in a suit hoisting a large flag.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
NPR,
2 May 2026
-
Joel Edmundson scored and Anton Forsberg stopped 27 shots for the Kings, whose fifth consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs ended with their eighth consecutive postseason defeat over the past two years and their seventh straight first-round exit since hoisting the Cup 12 years ago.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
New York — The tables are set, the cameras are waiting and some of today’s most stylish cultural figures are ascending the steps of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
-
That’s because ascending the Kardashev scale isn’t really a realistic goal—the scale is more a crude guide for thinking about how a technological civilization could grow and what its ultimate limits could be.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lifting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lifting. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
