tr.v., -vat·ed, -vat·ing, -vates.
- To move (something) to a higher place or position from a lower one; lift.
- To increase the amplitude, intensity, or volume of.
- To promote to a higher rank.
- To raise to a higher moral, cultural, or intellectual level.
- To lift the spirits of; elate. See synonyms at lift.
[Middle English elevaten, from Latin ēlevāre, ēlevāt- : ē-, ex-, up; see ex- + levāre, to raise.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
