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as in to lift
to move from a lower to a higher place or position the old trick of using a fat phone book to elevate a child to a more comfortable position at the table

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb elevate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of elevate are boost, heave, hoist, lift, raise, and rear. While all these words mean "to move from a lower to a higher place or position," elevate may replace lift or raise especially when exalting or enhancing is implied.

elevated the taste of the public

When could boost be used to replace elevate?

The words boost and elevate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, boost suggests assisting to climb or advance by a push.

boosted his brother over the fence

In what contexts can heave take the place of elevate?

Although the words heave and elevate have much in common, heave implies lifting and throwing with great effort or strain.

heaved the heavy crate inside

When is hoist a more appropriate choice than elevate?

In some situations, the words hoist and elevate are roughly equivalent. However, hoist implies lifting something heavy especially by mechanical means.

hoisted the cargo on board

When can lift be used instead of elevate?

The words lift and elevate can be used in similar contexts, but lift usually implies exerting effort to overcome resistance of weight.

lift the chair while I vacuum

Where would raise be a reasonable alternative to elevate?

While the synonyms raise and elevate are close in meaning, raise carries a stronger implication of bringing up to the vertical or to a high position.

scouts raising a flagpole

How are the words rear and raise related as synonyms of elevate?

Rear may add an element of suddenness to raise.

suddenly reared itself up on its hind legs

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of elevate The feud elevated both wrestlers' careers, showcasing their abilities as performers and storytellers inside of the squared circle. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025 One of those who elevated his play was sophomore Amari Coleman, who recorded a team-high 15 points in the championship game. Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2025 Khrushchev, who grew up in Ukraine, elevated it to the status of the second most powerful Soviet republic after Russia and, in 1954, transferred Crimea to its control—an act for which Putin assails him today. James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025 Spring colors are set to pop this season, with bold pastel hues that will effortlessly elevate any outfit. Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 1 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for elevate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elevate
Verb
  • The curly-haired among us will be particularly excited to know that using it to dry locks after a shower leads to big, defined, and hydrated curls.
    Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Cena appeared to be excited by what was happening as was the crowd in Toronto.
    Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Elon Musk's company is targeting Monday evening (March 3) for Flight 8 of Starship, which will lift off from Starbase in South Texas, near the border city of Brownsville.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Until this week, the brothers were also banned from leaving Romania, a measure that prosecutors said on Thursday had been lifted.
    Luiza Ilie, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Fraudsters also promote the overstated withholding scheme, encouraging taxpayers to inflate income and withholding on forms like W-2s and 1099s for larger refunds.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025
  • But the big reveal, designed to promote President Donald Trump’s new culture of transparency, fell flat.
    Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Venus is said to exalt in Pisces, per traditional astrology.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 31 Jan. 2025
  • Most of the sky will be collecting in the parts of your chart connected to important relationships and other people’s resources, and with Venus exalted in Pisces, love might reach you in the form of a care package or a helping hand.
    Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The play ignited the crowd and elated his coach, who ran over and embraced Aidan Mahaney at the scorer’s table.
    Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2025
  • But hearing those very industrial and harsh sounds for the first time was such an elating feeling.
    Justin Curto, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2024
Verb
  • Broward teachers, other school district employees get 3% raises Eyeing a friendly Supreme Court, Republicans push for the Ten Commandments in schools Trump vowed to leverage federal money to fight antisemitism.
    South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2025
  • In 2023, Herrmann raised some half a million dollars from investors, who included Mark Thompson, the chief executive of CNN, and Nicholas Johnston, the publisher of Axios.
    Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Fourteen percent will be upgraded to a faster standard, while 11 percent will have a slower standard.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The cryptographic encryption protocols will need to be upgraded as will any system using encryption Policy and regulation of DePIN is currently pretty thin on the ground.
    Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The designer’s Manhattan apartment, completed just months before her woefully premature death, perfectly captures her incisive eye and her steadfast belief in the ennobling power of great design.
    Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 8 Feb. 2025
  • The murder of six million Jews—and the question of whether the British authorities could have done more to save them—complicates an otherwise ennobling story of the country’s heroic stand against Nazism, its finest hour.
    Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Elevate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elevate. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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