boost

[boost]

verb (used with object)

1. to lift or raise by pushing from behind or below.

2. to advance or aid by speaking well of; promote.

   She always boosts her hometown.

3. to increase; raise.

   to boost prices;

   to boost the horsepower of the car by 20 percent.

4. to administer a booster shot to.

   Have you and your family been boosted yet?

5. Slang.,  to steal, especially to shoplift.

   Two computers were boosted from the office last night.

verb (used without object)

1. Slang.,  to engage in stealing, especially shoplifting.

noun

1. an upward shove or raise; lift.

2. an increase; rise.

   There's been a tremendous boost in food prices.

   Synonyms: uptick, upswing, upsurge, growth, hike

3. an act, remark, or the like, that helps one's progress, morale, efforts, etc..

   His pep talk was the boost our team needed.

boost

/ buːst /

noun

1. encouragement, improvement, or help

   a boost to morale

2. an upward thrust or push

   he gave him a boost over the wall

3. an increase or rise

   a boost in salary

4. a publicity campaign; promotion

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

verb

1. to encourage, assist, or improve

   to boost morale

2. to lift by giving a push from below or behind

3. to increase or raise

   to boost the voltage in an electrical circuit

4. to cause to rise; increase

   to boost sales

5. to advertise on a big scale

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

boost

1. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of boost¹

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25; perhaps Scots dialect boose (variant of pouss push ) + (hoi)st

Word History and Origins

Origin of boost¹

C19: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

The combined company has been led by Cedar Fair’s executives, who pursued a strategy of trying to control the mountain of debt, selling off under-performing parks and trying to boost visitors.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"It's boosted my confidence a lot so if other schools did something like this, it would help a lot of kids," said Amber.

Read more on BBC

Car seller AutoNation Inc. shrugged off tariff concerns as it topped Wall Street’s expectations for third-quarter earnings and revenue, boosted by increased demand for both used and new cars.

Read more on MarketWatch

Economists argue that rates — or home prices — need to drop significantly to boost sales.

Read more on MarketWatch

The result includes a positive one-off boost from a partial reversal of a restructuring provision, but even excluding this, the operating profit and margin were still well above consensus, he says.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• addition 
• advance 
• breakthrough 
• expansion 
• hike 
• improvement 
• increment 
• jump 
• lift 
• rise