dead lift

American  

noun

• dead lifts
  plural

1. a direct lifting without any mechanical assistance.

2. a situation that requires all one's strength or ingenuity.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dead lifts
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dead lift

First recorded in 1545–55

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dead lift

Unless James can juke Father Time and pull off another odds-defying dead lift for the ages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026

I have friends who choke down Greek yogurt by the bucketful, who eat handfuls of grilled chicken at a time, who dead lift their own body weight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

There, she hoisted four 100- to 150-pound sandbags onto her shoulders after completing six reps of a 315-pound dead lift.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2024

Those six are a dead lift, power throw, pushups, plank, run and a combination sprint/drag/carry.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 23, 2022

When the foliage is dead, lift the roots and store for the next season.

From The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots 16th Edition by Sutton and Sons

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