uplift
Americanverb (used with object)
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to lift up; raise; elevate.
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to improve socially, culturally, morally, or the like.
to uplift downtrodden and deprived peoples.
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to exalt emotionally or spiritually.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an act of lifting up or raising; elevation.
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the process or work of improving, as socially, intellectually, or morally.
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emotional or spiritual exaltation.
- Synonyms:
- enhancement, betterment, enrichment
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a brassiere.
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Geology. an upheaval.
verb
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to raise; elevate; lift up
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to raise morally, spiritually, culturally, etc
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to collect (a passenger, parcel, etc); pick up
noun
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the act, process, or result of lifting up
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the act or process of bettering moral, social or cultural conditions, etc
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a brassiere for lifting and supporting the breasts
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( as modifier )
an uplift bra
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the process or result of land being raised to a higher level, as during a period of mountain building
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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upliftsimple
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upliftssimple
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have upliftedperfect
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has upliftedperfect
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am upliftingprogressive
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are upliftingprogressive
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is upliftingprogressive
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have been upliftingperfect progressive
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has been upliftingperfect progressive
Past
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upliftedsimple
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had upliftedperfect
-
was upliftingprogressive
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were upliftingprogressive
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had been upliftingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of uplift
First recorded in 1300–50, uplift is from the Middle English word upliften. See up-, lift
Vocabulary lists containing uplift
Plate Tectonics - Middle School
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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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.
Beyond giving credit where credit’s due, the exhibition aims to uplift background art.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
Yet some analysts think Micron could be due for a valuation uplift, thanks to changing business dynamics.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026
The tectonic forces at work also thrust chunks of the island's coastline upward in a phenomenon known as "coastal uplift", leaving stretches of shore unrecognisable to families who have spent their whole lives there.
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
The money will be drawn from government reserves as a one-off uplift to additional security funding directly to the PSNI.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
Many African Americans today believe that uplift ideology worked in the past and ought to work again—forgetting that ultimately it took a major movement to end the last caste system, not simply good behavior.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
