facelift
Americannoun
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facelifts
plural
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plastic surgery on the face for elevating sagging tissues and eliminating wrinkles and other signs of age; rhytidectomy.
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a renovation or restyling, as of a room or building, intended to give an attractive, more up-to-date appearance.
verb (used with object)
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to perform a surgical facelift upon.
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to renovate or restyle in order to give a fresher, more modern appearance.
Our old offices have been facelifted with new furniture, rugs, and plants.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of facelift
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25
Explanation
A facelift is a surgical procedure that's meant to tighten the skin of the face in order to make a patient look younger. Wealthy people who hate their wrinkles may be tempted to have a facelift. Many older actors in Hollywood give into the temptation of having a facelift, instead of accepting the facial changes that naturally come with age. But facelifts are very expensive, can be dangerous, and frequently result in a strangely expressionless visage. A figurative facelift is anything that improves something's appearance: "While I was away, my sister gave my boring bedroom a facelift, painting the walls purple and replacing my old bedding."
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:
Known popularly as the "corn" because of its resemblance to the summer barbecue staple, the towering former communist-era barracks' facelift is already under scrutiny for potential misuse of the central European country's public funds.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
It comes as Swansea council itself has announced a £20m UK government-funded facelift for its Civic Centre, with proposals for an aquarium, lido, bars and shops.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
The Actor Awards — formerly the SAG Awards — got a facelift this year, one host Kristen Bell made sure to poke fun of as she kicked off the 32nd annual ceremony.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026
The new “RHONY” lasted two seasons before being sent back to the factory for another facelift, and the series remains in limbo.
From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2025
On the other hand, if you want to emphasize that several things about Phyllis show her age, you should choose plurals for both verbs: What give away Phyllis's age are the knees and the facelift.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Among patients 66 and older, demand for breast augmentations, tummy tucks, arm lifts, thigh lifts and facelifts all increased by double digits.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
Experts say it is important to do your research and choose a plastic surgeon who specialises in facelifts.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2025
It was an aggressive reminder that lightning rarely strikes twice, and especially can’t be summoned by expensive facelifts, craft beer on tap and $25 Airliner hats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2023
Indeed, from teenagers repainting their bedrooms to impress peers during online classes to adults getting Zoom-inspired facelifts, many of us are becoming even more obsessed with how we look on screen.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2020
First set aside for the public in 1819 when its natural springs supplied water to the White House, Franklin Square has had many facelifts, including after the Civil War, in 1936 and in the mid-1970s.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 7, 2020
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
