levitate

American  

[lev-i-teyt] / ˈlɛv ɪˌteɪt /

verb (used without object)

levitated, levitating

1. to rise or float in the air, especially as a result of a supernatural power that overcomes gravity.

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verb (used with object)

levitated, levitating

1. to cause to rise or float in the air.

levitate British  

/ ˈlɛvɪˌteɪt /

verb

1. to rise or cause to rise and float in the air, without visible agency, attributed, esp formerly, to supernatural causes

2. (tr) med to support (a patient) on a cushion of air in the treatment of severe burns

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Other Word Forms

• levitation noun
• levitator noun

Etymology

Origin of levitate

1665–75; levit(y) + -ate ¹, modeled on gravitate

Example Sentences

Planetary scientists think that electrostatic forces generated from this interaction levitate dust or ice above the ring to form the spokes, though after several decades no theory perfectly predicts the spokes.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023

It’s the spell you cast to levitate something.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2023

The Wall Street journal quoted him as predicting that “we could magnetically levitate trains above superconducting rails, change the way electricity is stored and transferred, and revolutionize medical imaging.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2023

This vapour layer reduces the rate of heat transfer and makes liquid cooling on the hot surface ineffective, causing the liquid to levitate and skid across the surface.

From Science Daily • Nov. 10, 2023

“Some in infancy; others not until they’re quite old. I once heard of a man who didn’t realize he could levitate objects with his mind until he was ninety-two years of age.”

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs