boost
Americanverb (used with object)
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to lift or raise by pushing from behind or below.
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to advance or aid by speaking well of; promote.
She always boosts her hometown.
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to boost prices;
to boost the horsepower of the car by 20 percent.
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to administer a booster shot to.
Have you and your family been boosted yet?
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Slang. to steal, especially to shoplift.
Two computers were boosted from the office last night.
verb (used without object)
noun
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encouragement, improvement, or help
a boost to morale
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an upward thrust or push
he gave him a boost over the wall
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an increase or rise
a boost in salary
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a publicity campaign; promotion
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the amount by which the induction pressure of a supercharged internal-combustion engine exceeds that of the ambient pressure
verb
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to encourage, assist, or improve
to boost morale
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to lift by giving a push from below or behind
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to increase or raise
to boost the voltage in an electrical circuit
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to cause to rise; increase
to boost sales
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to advertise on a big scale
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to increase the induction pressure of (an internal-combustion engine) above that of the ambient pressure; supercharge
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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boostsimple
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boostssimple
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have boostedperfect
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has boostedperfect
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am boostingprogressive
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are boostingprogressive
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is boostingprogressive
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have been boostingperfect progressive
-
has been boostingperfect progressive
Past
-
boostedsimple
-
had boostedperfect
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was boostingprogressive
-
were boostingprogressive
-
had been boostingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of boost
An Americanism dating back to 1815–25; perhaps Scots dialect boose (variant of pouss push ) + (hoi)st
Explanation
Think of the word boost as meaning "help up." Maybe you need a boost getting over a fence (hmm — are you sneaking in or sneaking out?), or maybe you are feeling low and need to boost your spirits — chocolate, anyone? Sometimes words appear that really don't have any clear origins. Boost is one of those words, but it's a fun word, and it's thought that maybe it has some connection to boose, a Scots dialect word that carries the idea of a push. A slang meaning of the word is to sneakily steal, like shoplifting. You gave your cousin a boost into the window, not knowing he was planning on boosting some sneakers.
Vocabulary lists containing boost
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 2
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Higher Learning: Synonyms For "Up"
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"Laws are not the only way to boost immunization”: an editorial from Nature
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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:
Justice Department, which found the merger would likely boost competition — not harm it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
A disposal gain of $1.8 billion upon completion is expected to translate into a 4% boost to HSBC’s 2027 pretax profit and lift its CET1 ratio by 15 basis points, according to JPM.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"Adam gave me a good moral boost," said Pogacar.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Key details: The U.S. got a temporary boost in July from the World Cup and celebrations tied to America’s 250th birthday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Hey, Miles, you wanna give me a boost? I think there are mice or something up here. I might be able to see it better.”
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
Exercise also boosts antioxidant enzymes in the body, which protect cells from damage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
That’s likely a reference to retailers who have said more daylight in the evening boosts sales.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
How much this boosts imports will become clearer in the coming months, says Singh, though he sees momentum building ahead of the new terms of trade taking effect.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
AOL’s holding company goes public, the World Cup boosts prediction markets, and Eric Trump loses more than $600 million on Bitcoin.
From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2026
“What happens when the Sender boosts the power?”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
—The dollar edged slightly lower but remains at elevated levels after reaching a three-week high on Thursday as a surge in energy prices boosted expectations for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Net income was $3.7 billion, down 68% from a year ago, when its profit was boosted by a $9.4 billion gain from Comcast’s sale of its share in Hulu.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Alphabet and Tesla kicked off big tech earnings to a weak reception as both boosted artificial-intelligence spending plans, amid continued investor fretting over that potential payout.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Spanish energy giant Repsol said Thursday it net profit in the first half of the year more than tripled, boosted by a surge in oil and gas prices due to the Middle East conflict.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
They boosted him up, behind the creamy-colored tooled leather saddle.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
The Home Office said its new deal with France - signed in April - prevents these "perilous journeys by boosting enforcement action on beaches".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
In another closely watched item, Tesla reported gains in subscribers to its "FSD" driver-assistance program, boosting revenues.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Core PCE would still be well above 2% even if we exclude special factors that are likely temporarily boosting inflation,” Bank of America economist Aditya Bhave wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
In reality, artificially boosting testosterone, especially if not medically indicated, can shrink testicles, lower sperm counts and even make it harder to urinate.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
The man given the task of boosting Berkeley’s academic stature was William Wallace Campbell, who became its president in 1923.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
