uplift
Americanverb (used with object)
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to lift up; raise; elevate.
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to improve socially, culturally, morally, or the like.
to uplift downtrodden and deprived peoples.
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to exalt emotionally or spiritually.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an act of lifting up or raising; elevation.
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the process or work of improving, as socially, intellectually, or morally.
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emotional or spiritual exaltation.
- Synonyms:
- enhancement, betterment, enrichment
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a brassiere.
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Geology. an upheaval.
verb
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to raise; elevate; lift up
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to raise morally, spiritually, culturally, etc
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to collect (a passenger, parcel, etc); pick up
noun
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the act, process, or result of lifting up
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the act or process of bettering moral, social or cultural conditions, etc
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a brassiere for lifting and supporting the breasts
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( as modifier )
an uplift bra
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the process or result of land being raised to a higher level, as during a period of mountain building
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have upliftedperfect
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has upliftedperfect 3rd person singular
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is upliftingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been upliftingperfect progressive
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are upliftingprogressive
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has been upliftingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am upliftingprogressive 1st person singular
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upliftingparticiple
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upliftssingular 3rd person
Past
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had upliftedperfect
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were upliftingprogressive plural
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was upliftingprogressive singular
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upliftedparticiple
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had been upliftingperfect progressive
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upliftedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of uplift
First recorded in 1300–50, uplift is from the Middle English word upliften. See up-, lift
Vocabulary lists containing uplift
Plate Tectonics - Middle School
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In late May, an MSO backed by private-equity firm Uplift Investors announced a deal with Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers, following one with a Louisiana personal-injury firm earlier this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
An earlier version of this article incorrectly said Uplift acquired Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Somewhere in the bowels of my music collection hides 1985’s George Clinton-produced “Freaky Styley” and 1987’s “The Uplift Mofo Party Plan” on crumbling cassettes.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
Tessa Khan, from the environmental campaign group Uplift which, along with Greenpeace, brought judicial reviews to stop the development of Rosebank, said Equinor was getting ahead of itself.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2025
Among those attending the conference were representatives of capital, of labor, of housing conditions, the Immigration Bureau of Social Uplift Work for Negroes and others.
From Negro Migration during the War by Scott, Emmett J. (Emmett Jay)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
