hoist

American  

[hoist, hahyst] / hɔɪst, haɪst /

verb (used with object)

• hoists,
  present (3rd person singular)
• hoisted,
  past participle,  past
• hoisting
  present participle

1. to raise or lift, especially by some mechanical appliance.

   to hoist a flag; to hoist the mainsail.

   Synonyms:

   elevate

   Antonyms:

   lower

2. to raise to one's lips and drink; drink (especially beer or whiskey) with gusto.

   Let's go hoist a few beers.

3. Archaic. a simple past tense and past participle of hoise.

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noun

• hoists
  plural

1. an apparatus for hoisting, as a block and tackle, a derrick, or a crane.

2. act of hoisting; a lift.

   Give that sofa a hoist at your end.

3. Nautical.

   1. the vertical dimension amidships of any square sail that is hoisted with a yard.

   2. the distance between the hoisted and the lowered position of such a yard.

   3. the dimension of a fore-and-aft sail along the luff.

   4. a number of flags raised together as a signal.

4. (on a flag)

   1. the vertical dimension as flown from a vertical staff.

   2. the edge running next to the staff.

idioms

1. hoist by / with one's own petard. petard.

hoist British  

/ hɔɪst /

verb

1. (tr) to raise or lift up, esp by mechanical means

2. See petard

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noun

1. any apparatus or device for hoisting

2. the act of hoisting

3. See rotary clothesline

4. nautical

   1. the amidships height of a sail bent to the yard with which it is hoisted Compare drop

   2. the difference between the set and lowered positions of this yard

5. nautical the length of the luff of a fore-and-aft sail

6. nautical a group of signal flags

7. the inner edge of a flag next to the staff Compare fly 1

Synonym Usage

See raise.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hoister
  noun
• unhoisted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hoists
  plural

Participles

• hoisting
  present
• hoisted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• hoist
  simple
• hoists
  simple
• have hoisted
  perfect
• has hoisted
  perfect
• am hoisting
  progressive
• are hoisting
  progressive
• is hoisting
  progressive
• have been hoisting
  perfect progressive
• has been hoisting
  perfect progressive

Past

• hoisted
  simple
• had hoisted
  perfect
• was hoisting
  progressive
• were hoisting
  progressive
• had been hoisting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will hoist
  simple
• will have hoisted
  perfect
• will be hoisting
  progressive
• will have been hoisting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of hoist

First recorded in 1540–50; later variant of hoise, with -t as in against, etc.

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Explanation

To hoist is to raise up or lift, like a crane or forklift would. You can hoist yourself up onto the roof to get a better view, or hoist your teammate onto your shoulders after she scores the winning goal. This word is generally used to describe heavier lifting, like the hoisting of a fallen tree onto the bed of a truck or hoisting the Super Bowl trophy over your head after the big game. In nautical terms, where it comes up often, hoist refers to a group of flags that are raised all at once to communicate a signal.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hoist hoists hoisted hoisting

He never got to hoist the Stanley Cup, although he did come close as coach of the Kings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Here, a filmmaker who managed to reach the peak of Olympus makes the prideful, ill-fated decision to hoist a ladder toward the stars, trying to get even higher, past where even the Gods can see.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

While we won’t know until then which country will hoist the golden trophy, plenty of other big winners have already emerged over the course of the past five-and-a-half weeks.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

By the time the new bed extension and hoist were to be installed, in September 2025, Hull had become too ill, and died soon after.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

But the captain mocked him for a silly fool and bade the crew hasten to hoist the sail.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

"The law means reasonable adaptions, but for people like me that doesn't go far enough – you need the hoists and the beds to really make it workable," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

By most measures, the United States still hoists plenty of power on the global stage.

From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026

By the time Bridges hoists a 3-pointer from the corner, Wembanyama may as well be in another time zone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

El Rey Theatre projectionist Tori Yorochko hoists a scepter prop that was featured in the 1963 movie “Cleopatra” starring Elizabeth Taylor.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026

Lourdes turns her flashlight on the river, penetrating its rippled surface, then hoists herself over the fence.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

In a tribute to the stadium’s soccer history, Loop ran to the corner of the field and performed Cristiano Ronaldo’s signature celebration before teammates hoisted him on their shoulders as if he were Pelé.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

I deserved to be hoisted in the air in a true “Dirty Dancing” moment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

She and del Vecchio were alleged to have hoisted a flag of the Islamic State group in the reserve where the couple disappeared in 2018.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

Instead, she was hoisted onto the shoulders of social media and showered with virtual applause.

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

In a flash I hoisted Baby Joe onto my back, and we all dived into the water and swam for it.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

A boy from Watts stares at the ocean, imagining ancient Greek boats sailing across the Pacific and his father in a toga and sneakers, proudly hoisting a trident.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Anthropologists have documented the Gogodala people of western Papua New Guinea singing Hebrew songs and hoisting the flag of Israel at tribal ceremonies.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

They barely finish before other mids start hoisting each other into a crude human pyramid.

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026

The injury also did not stop Martinez from joining in the post-match celebrations as he jumped into the Villa fans before hoisting manager Unai Emery aloft.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

James asked, hoisting his backpack onto his shoulders.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

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