hoist
- to raise or lift, especially by some mechanical appliance: to hoist a flag; to hoist the mainsail.
- 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.
- 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.Compare drop(def 28).
- 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.Compare fly1(def 30b).
- hoist by/with one's own petard. petard(def 4).
Origin of hoist
Synonyms for hoist
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms for hoist
hoise
- to hoist.
Origin of hoise
Examples from the Web for hoist
Contemporary Examples of hoist
Hoist that big historical asterisk skyward and place it next to his name.
Carter scurried back to Mace and reached down to hoist him up.
But a significant number of your fellow citizens have a very different vision as they hoist the flag.
But the regime's canons push them back before they can hoist their flag over the liberated barracks.
Republicans beyond Romney were also quick to hoist the “repeal” banner—calling a vote in the House on July 9.
Historical Examples of hoist
How could we hoist ourselves to such a height with Marie's conveyance?
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
Why do they continue to fire, General, when I have given orders to hoist the white flag?
The DownfallEmile Zola
It seemed to be ingenious, and proper to hoist great burdens.
She saw Garnache raise his foot to the stirrup and hoist himself to the saddle.
St. Martin's SummerRafael Sabatini
If you should want me for anything, hoist some kind of flag on the mainmast.
An Outcast of the IslandsJoseph Conrad
hoist
- (tr) to raise or lift up, esp by mechanical means
- hoist with one's own petard See petard (def. 2)
- any apparatus or device for hoisting
- the act of hoisting
- See rotary clothesline
- nautical
- the amidships height of a sail bent to the yard with which it is hoistedCompare drop (def. 15)
- 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 staffCompare fly 1 (def. 25)
Word Origin for hoist
Word Origin and History for hoist
1540s, "to raise," earlier hoise (c.1500), probably originally past tense of Middle English hysse (late 15c.), which is probably from Middle Dutch hyssen (Dutch hijsen) "to hoist," related to Low German hissen and Old Norse hissa upp "raise." A nautical word found in most European languages (e.g. French hisser, Italian issare, Spanish izar), but it is uncertain which had it first. Related: Hoisted; hoisting. In phrase hoist with one's own petard, it is the past participle.
For 'tis the sport, to have the engineer
Hoist with his own petar: and it shall go hard
But I will delve one yard below their mines,
And blow them at the moon: O 'tis most sweet,
When in one line two crafts directly meet.
["Hamlet," Act III, Scene iv]
Meaning "to lift and remove" was prevalent c.1550-1750. As a noun, 1650s, from the verb.