hoist
Americanverb (used with object)
-
hoists,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hoisted,
past participle, past
-
hoisting
present participle
-
to raise or lift, especially by some mechanical appliance.
to hoist a flag; to hoist the mainsail.
- Synonyms:
- elevate
- Antonyms:
- lower
-
to raise to one's lips and drink; drink (especially beer or whiskey) with gusto.
Let's go hoist a few beers.
-
Archaic. a simple past tense and past participle of hoise.
noun
-
hoists
plural
-
an apparatus for hoisting, as a block and tackle, a derrick, or a crane.
-
act of hoisting; a lift.
Give that sofa a hoist at your end.
-
Nautical.
-
the vertical dimension amidships of any square sail that is hoisted with a yard.
-
the distance between the hoisted and the lowered position of such a yard.
-
the dimension of a fore-and-aft sail along the luff.
-
a number of flags raised together as a signal.
-
-
(on a flag)
-
the vertical dimension as flown from a vertical staff.
-
the edge running next to the staff.
-
idioms
verb
-
(tr) to raise or lift up, esp by mechanical means
-
See petard
noun
-
any apparatus or device for hoisting
-
the act of hoisting
-
nautical
-
the amidships height of a sail bent to the yard with which it is hoisted Compare drop
-
the difference between the set and lowered positions of this yard
-
-
nautical the length of the luff of a fore-and-aft sail
-
nautical a group of signal flags
-
the inner edge of a flag next to the staff Compare fly 1
Synonym Usage
See raise.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hoistsimple
-
hoistssimple
-
have hoistedperfect
-
has hoistedperfect
-
am hoistingprogressive
-
are hoistingprogressive
-
is hoistingprogressive
-
have been hoistingperfect progressive
-
has been hoistingperfect progressive
Past
-
hoistedsimple
-
had hoistedperfect
-
was hoistingprogressive
-
were hoistingprogressive
-
had been hoistingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hoist
First recorded in 1540–50; later variant of hoise, with -t as in against, etc.
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.
Vocabulary lists containing hoist
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Christopher Columbus' Diary: The First Voyage
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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:
“I happened to look over my shoulder and I saw these planes coming down. The corporal in charge said, ‘Turn around, Private Garland,’” because they were about to hoist the flag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
He needs specialised equipment such as a hoist which allows him to be transferred from a wheelchair into a bed, or helps him use the bathroom.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 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
One day in 2014, Flod’s young adult nephew, adept at climbing, helped him hoist the 4-foot, about 10-pound papier-mache sculpture atop the 70-foot pillar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
That was so nobody could get on without the hoist operator knowing about it.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
All will be forgiven if Allen delivers, reverses all those decades of bad juju and hoists the Lombardi hood ornament into the sky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
By most measures, the United States still hoists plenty of power on the global stage.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 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
Whichever team hoists the winning World Cup soccer trophy this summer will be the recipients of a very valuable prize, thanks to rising gold prices.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
Will hoists himself into the car with some difficulty, landing first on his stomach and then dragging his legs in behind him.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
Carla and Morgan may end up hoisted by their own unprincipled petards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Nor, it turns out, did a lot of people in the audience, who hoisted signs from the American Civil Liberties Union reading: “Get the Flock Out!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Instead, she was hoisted onto the shoulders of social media and showered with virtual applause.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
Across several neighbourhoods, the country's flags were hoisted on windows, balconies, and even on rooftops.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Danny held on to the first branch and hoisted himself onto the beanstalk.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
They plan to finish it by hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Microsoft on Tuesday sought to reassure European users with a "multi-billion-dollar" deal to rent AI infrastructure from Mistral, hoisting the French developer into the lucrative business of renting compute capacity.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
They barely finish before other mids start hoisting each other into a crude human pyramid.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Although Mr. Paré-Poupart also works as a writer and a social worker, it’s the physical challenge and camaraderie of garbage work that brings him “profound satisfaction and great joy” and keeps him hoisting heavy bins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
He’s up and down on that float all day hoisting bags of coal and turf, desperate to keep the bandages in place on his legs so the dirt won’t get into the open sores.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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.
