boost

[ boost ]

/ bust /

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verb (used with object)

to lift or raise by pushing from behind or below.

to advance or aid by speaking well of; promote: She always boosts her hometown.

to increase; raise: to boost prices; to boost the horsepower of the car by 20 percent.

Slang. to steal, especially to shoplift: Two typewriters were boosted from the office last night.

verb (used without object)

Slang. to engage in stealing, especially shoplifting.

noun

an upward shove or raise; lift.

an increase; rise: There's been a tremendous boost in food prices.

an act, remark, or the like, that helps one's progress, morale, efforts, etc.: His pep talk was the boost our team needed.

Nearby words

Origin of boost

1805–15, Americanism; perhaps Scots dialect boose (variant of pouss push) + (hoi)st

SYNONYMS FOR boost

7. hike, growth, upsurge, upswing, uptick.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR boost ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for boost

Unz also notes that a higher minimum wage would discourage illegal immigration and boost consumer spending.
To Make Their Victory Durable, the GOP Must Fix the Minimum Wage|Dmitri Mehlhorn|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Firstly, there's the offensive notion that New York needs an ad campaign to boost tourism.
New York Is Taylor Swift’s New Boyfriend|Amy Zimmerman|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After plane loads of wheat seeds were sent to India in the 1960s, farmers there were able to boost production by a factor of four.
Growth Stocks|The Daily Beast|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At a minimum it could boost the number of troops it has patrolling the 900-kilometer frontier, Yavuz told The Daily Beast.
Is NATO Ally Turkey Tacitly Fueling the ISIS War Machine?|Thomas Seibert|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

They use Ryan Braun, the 2011 National League MVP, as an example of how PEDs are supposed to boost numbers.
In Defense of A-Roid|Allen Barra|September 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yes, I'll stay and do what I can to boost the hermit life in your estimation.
Seven Keys to Baldpate|Earl Derr Biggers
Long ago, when I used to crab you, she gave it to me in the neck; and now when I try to boost you, you seem to get it.
The Rough Road|William John Locke
Judge Stone waited a moment, and gave her a boost at the elbow as she skipped up the step.
Vandemark's Folly|Herbert Quick
And now I guess you're going to boost your weight behind it too.
The Man in the Twilight|Ridgwell Cullum
Come on, fellows, let's work up some real genuine enthusiasm and all boost together for the snappiest dinner yet!
Babbitt|Sinclair Lewis

British Dictionary definitions for boost

boost

/ (buːst) /

noun

encouragement, improvement, or helpa boost to morale

an upward thrust or pushhe gave him a boost over the wall

an increase or risea boost in salary

a publicity campaign; promotion

the amount by which the induction pressure of a supercharged internal-combustion engine exceeds that of the ambient pressure

verb (tr)

to encourage, assist, or improveto boost morale

to lift by giving a push from below or behind

to increase or raiseto boost the voltage in an electrical circuit

to cause to rise; increaseto boost sales

to advertise on a big scale

to increase the induction pressure of (an internal-combustion engine) above that of the ambient pressure; supercharge

Word Origin for boost

C19: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for boost

boost

1815, literal and figurative, American English, of unknown origin. Related: Boosted; boosting. As a noun by 1825.

Science definitions for boost

boost

[ bōōst ]

A linear map from one reference frame to another in which each coordinate is increased or decreased by an independent constant or linear function. A boost corresponds to a shift of the entire coordinate system without any rotation of its axes.

boost

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

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Origin of boost

Examples from the Web for boost

boost

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for boost

boost

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