What does lifted mean?
Lifted is the past tense and past participle of lift and is also used as an adjective. Its central meaning is moved or raised upward: people lift objects, a team lifts a trophy, or a performer lifts a voice. The word can also mean removed, as when restrictions or a ban are lifted, and increased, as when prices or demand are lifted. In figurative contexts, lifted describes improved mood, stronger conviction, or amplified sound and signals. An informal use refers to material copied from another source, as in a lifted passage or a lifted melody. Lifted is common in both formal and informal English, but the borrowing and plagiarism sense is generally more prevalent in informal criticism. The word is especially useful when an action or condition results in something rising, disappearing from restriction, or becoming more powerful.
To raise, move upward, or take from a lower position; also, to remove, increase, amplify, or informally copy.
"The workers lifted the sculpture onto the pedestal."
The form is the simple past tense and past participle of lift. In the informal sense of copying, it commonly appears with text, a phrase, or a work.
Raised or elevated; removed from restriction; made more intense, cheerful, or powerful.
"She returned to work with lifted spirits after her holiday."
This participial adjective is especially common in fixed expressions such as lifted spirits, lifted restrictions, and lifted prices.
From raising objects to lifting mood, restrictions, and entire works of literature, the word carries the recurring idea of moving something upward.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lifted come from?
The word belongs to the English family of lift, whose noun descends from Old English lyft, associated with the upper part of a building or a raised structure. The verb developed through Middle English forms with differing spellings, including liften and lift, and its past form came to be written lifted. Related English words include lifter, uplift, and airlift, while loft belongs to the same broad Germanic ancestry.
Related word forms
How lifted is actually used
As a verb, it is the past tense and past participle of lift. As an adjective, it is common in phrases such as lifted spirits, lifted restrictions, and lifted prices; informal senses involving copying or plagiarizing are especially associated with lifted text or a lifted idea.
Easily confused with lifted
Lifted generally means moved upward or raised, whereas lofted specifically means sent or propelled high into the air.