elevate
Americanverb (used with object)
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elevates,
present (3rd person singular)
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elevated,
past participle, past
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elevating
present participle
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to move or raise to a higher place or position; lift up.
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to raise to a higher state, rank, or office; exalt; promote.
to elevate an archbishop to cardinal.
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to raise to a higher intellectual or spiritual level.
Good poetry may elevate the mind.
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to raise the spirits; put in high spirits.
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to raise (the voice) in pitch or volume.
adjective
verb
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to move to a higher place
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to raise in rank or status; promote
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to put in a cheerful mood; elate
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to put on a higher cultural plane; uplift
to elevate the tone of a conversation
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to raise the axis of a gun
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to raise the intensity or pitch of (the voice)
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RC Church to lift up (the Host) at Mass for adoration
Usage
What does elevate mean? To elevate something is to move it to a higher position or to lift it up, as in The mechanic elevated the car on a lift so she could work underneath it. Literally, to elevate means to move something to a higher plane. This is normally used in reference to machines or vehicles made to raise something or to lift up something like a ceiling or shelf. Elevate is more commonly used figuratively, meaning to go up in status, value, office, or something else that is measured from low to high. For example, if you become captain of your basketball team, you are elevated to the role of captain. Elevate also means to move feelings from negative to positive or to increase the positivity of feelings. If you’re feeling sad, you might try to elevate your feelings to happiness by taking a hike or going out with friends. Example: I will be elevated to the rank of vice president by the end of the year.
Synonym Usage
Elevate, enhance, exalt, heighten mean to raise or make higher in some respect. To elevate is to raise something up to a higher level, position, or state: to elevate the living standards of a group. To enhance is to add to the attractions or desirability of something: Landscaping enhances the beauty of the grounds. To exalt is to raise very high in rank, character, estimation, mood, etc.: A king is exalted above his subjects. To heighten is to increase the strength or intensity: to heighten one's powers of concentration.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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elevatesimple
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elevatessimple
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have elevatedperfect
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has elevatedperfect
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am elevatingprogressive
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are elevatingprogressive
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is elevatingprogressive
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have been elevatingperfect progressive
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has been elevatingperfect progressive
Past
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elevatedsimple
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had elevatedperfect
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was elevatingprogressive
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were elevatingprogressive
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had been elevatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of elevate
First recorded in 1490–1500; from Latin ēlevātus “lightened, lifted up,” past participle of ēlevāre “to lift up,” from ē- e- 1 + levāre “to lighten, lift”; see relieve
Explanation
To elevate is to lift up, either literally or figuratively. One way to elevate your mood is to exercise and elevate your heart rate. But if you exercise too hard and sprain your ankle, you might have to elevate it by propping it on a pillow. An elevator elevates you: it carries you to a higher floor in a building. Elevate can also mean to raise something to a higher intellectual level, as when an informed speaker elevates the level of debate about an issue. A boss can elevate, or promote, a worker to a better position. For example, a restaurant manager might elevate a superb busboy to the position of waiter. Elevate comes from Latin elevates, which means “to raise” or even "to lighten.”
Vocabulary lists containing elevate
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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.
See Examples For:
Though he’s always been a great actor, popping up here and there to elevate material, Hartnett has found an artistic sweet spot, using his effervescent charm and boy-next-door-all-grown-up good looks to subvert expectations.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
Now I can help elevate the team and really think about the business partnership nature of the role and tie that back to visibility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
“The long legacy and history of visual arts with music, they are hand in hand because in some ways they elevate each other,” Lawrence says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Klopp's style helps to elevate all the members of his squad - not just the most talented.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
I assumed that a big part of his mission was to attract higher-quality students to Rider in order to elevate its profile and reputation, but his attitude toward Truman actually angered me.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
By making intentional decisions aligned with your goals and values, leading an active social life and contributing to a cause that elevates your spirit, you’re bound to feel more happy and fulfilled.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
It was the first album they recorded live in the studio since the ’90s, and that aspect elevates almost every song on this record; they all feel incredibly vibrant.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
Mr. Ogilvy, who was educated at Oxford and later became a chef, writes in propulsive prose that elevates this, his first book, above a simple history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
But perhaps what elevates Pogacar to the top now is his respectful demeanour, paying tribute as he did in Paris to every one of his domestiques by name, before thanking his family.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Vermeer’s mastery of light’s expressive qualities elevates his concern for the reality of appearance to the level of poetry and subsumes its visual and symbolic possibilities.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
At a Georgia location opened in 2024, food travels from an elevated kitchen to employees below on a conveyor system designed to deliver a meal every six seconds.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
"And the need to refill those stocks will mean energy prices remain elevated for a period, even when disruption in the Middle East clears."
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
During the 2015-16 El Niño season, California didn’t experience elevated rainfall, but did see record coastal erosion, another hallmark of the climate pattern.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The overall decline for August comes despite higher sentiment among companies, with export expectations remaining elevated in September following a surge in August, the Ifo Institute said last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Among them was the talented seamstress Gracy, who had nursed Sarah’s children and been elevated to a supervisor of other household members.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
“The latest advancements in AI are elevating cybersecurity to the top of the CIO priority list,” CEO Nikesh Arora said in a statement.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
"I was never about keeping people down, I was more about elevating and bringing people up around me."
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
It’s revolutionized the sport, elevating a pack of young anglers for whom the technology is second nature.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Leslie Vooris shares some recommendations for elevating your drinking experience by investing in fancy glassware.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
They'd lived their code—Izzat— fighting for freedom, protecting the innocent, elevating loyalty to their own people above all else.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
