# lift

> English word · Verb · IPA /lɪft/ · frequency rank #3,006

## Definitions
1. To raise or rise.
2. To raise or rise.
3. To steal.
4. To source directly without acknowledgement; to plagiarise.
5. To arrest (a person).
6. To remove (a ban, restriction, etc.).
7. To alleviate, to lighten (pressure, tension, stress, etc.)
8. To disperse, to break up.
9. To lift weights; to weight-lift.
10. To try to raise something; to exert the strength for raising or bearing.
11. To elevate or improve in rank, condition, etc.; often with up.
12. To bear; to support.
13. To collect, as moneys due; to raise.
14. Given morphisms f and g with the same target: To produce a morphism which the given morphism factors through (i.e. a morphism h such that f=g∘h; cf. lift n.etymology 1 18)
15. Given morphisms f and g with the same target: To produce a morphism which the given morphism factors through (i.e. a morphism h such that f=g∘h; cf. lift n.etymology 1 18)
16. To buy a security or other asset previously offered for sale.
17. To take (hounds) off the existing scent and move them to another spot.

## Etymology
From Middle English liften, lyften, from Old Norse lypta (“to lift, air”, literally “to raise in the air”), from Proto-Germanic *luftijaną (“to raise in the air”), related to *luftuz (“roof, air”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *lewp- (“to peel, break off, damage”) or from a root meaning roof (see *luftuz). Cognate with Danish and Norwegian Bokmål løfte (“to lift”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish lyfta (“to lift”), German lüften (“to air, lift”), Old English lyft (“air”). See above. 1851 for the noun sense "a mechanical device for vertical transport".
(To steal): For this sense Cleasby suggests perhaps a relation to the root of Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌹𐍆𐍄𐌿𐍃 (hliftus) "thief", cognate with Latin cleptus and Greek κλέπτω (kléptō)).

## Easily confused with
- **Lt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lt)
- **lot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lot)
- **lit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lit)
- **lip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lip)
- **lil** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lil)
- **Liz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-liz)
- **lin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lin)
- **Liu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-liu)
- **Liv** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-liv)
- **lim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lim)
- **lis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lis)
- **LST** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lst)
- **LRT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lrt)
- **like** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-like)
- **live** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-live)
- **line** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-line)
- **lost** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lost)
- **list** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-list)
- **link** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-link)
- **lips** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lift-vs-lips)

## Common misspellings (6)
`ilft`, `lfit`, `lifft`, `liftt`, `litf`, `llift`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/lift