hoist 1 of 2

verb

ˈhȯist How to pronounce hoist (audio)
Definition of hoistnext
1
as in to heave
to lift with effort dockworkers hoisted all 164 barrels of molasses out of the ship's hold when it arrived in port

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to lift
to move from a lower to a higher place or position hoisted the flag on the flagpole

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to sip
to swallow in liquid form I have time to hoist a couple beers before heading home

Synonyms & Similar Words

hoist

2 of 2

noun

as in raising

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb hoist contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of hoist are boost, elevate, heave, lift, raise, and rear. While all these words mean "to move from a lower to a higher place or position," hoist implies lifting something heavy especially by mechanical means.

hoisted the cargo on board

When is it sensible to use boost instead of hoist?

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

boosted his brother over the fence

How does the word elevate relate to other synonyms for hoist?

Elevate may replace lift or raise especially when exalting or enhancing is implied.

elevated the taste of the public

When could heave be used to replace hoist?

In some situations, the words heave and hoist are roughly equivalent. However, heave implies lifting and throwing with great effort or strain.

heaved the heavy crate inside

When is lift a more appropriate choice than hoist?

The synonyms lift and hoist are sometimes interchangeable, 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 hoist?

The meanings of raise and hoist largely overlap; however, 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 hoist?

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 hoist
Verb
Because of the area’s steep terrain, a helicopter was brought in to hoist bags of trash and other debris and deposit them in large containers. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025 The patient’s condition required rescuers to hoist and carry them down to a helicopter waiting to fly them to a trauma center for treatment, the agency said. —Brooke Baitinger, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Noun
Watch the sun hoist itself over the distant mountains, and later enjoy unmatched stargazing. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2025 For example, Denmark may want helicopters with the hoist crane on the left rather than the right, whereas Italy may want tanks with space for an additional soldier. —Elisabeth Braw, Foreign Affairs, 27 Nov. 2016 See All Example Sentences for hoist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoist
  1. heave
  2. lift
  3. sip
  4. raise
  5. drink
  6. takeoff
  7. gulp
  8. levitation
Verb
  • What’s to love about heaving a 12-pound ball of iron?
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2025
  • Yet, far from being overshadowed by the star’s appearance, Owens enjoyed plenty of additional attention for his new designs — in particular, a pair of knee-high boots heaving with a plume of feathery leather strips.
    — Oscar Holland, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025
Definition of heave
Verb
  • Each carriage turns 360 degrees while lifting riders to 6 feet in the air.
    — Samantha Neely, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
  • The Trump administration’s Supreme Court emergency appeal comes after a three-judge panel on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to lift Joun’s ruling.
    — Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of lift
Verb
  • Put up some tents, grab lots of pillows and blankets, and snack on s’mores while sipping champagne. 14.
    — Maggie Griswold, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Photo : Daniel Petroni The wine cellar includes space to sit and sip.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of sip
Verb
  • At the same time, these updates raise questions about the Oscars broadcast itself.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
  • There’s also a charity component, with the team raising funds for local students involved in fish restoration efforts.
    — Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of raise
Verb
  • People can take several different self-questionnaires to screen for problem drinking.
    — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
  • With his home made uninhabitable by smoke and soot and the water unsafe to drink, Miller and his family were forced to move into a rental house in neighboring Pasadena.
    — Todd Longwell, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of drink
Noun
  • And last Friday, a Delta Air Lines flight departing the airport experienced a close call just after takeoff as four Air Force jets were headed toward a flyover at Arlington National Cemetary.
    — Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2025
  • The second crash, on March 10, 2019, happened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when a Boeing aircraft crashed minutes after takeoff and killed 157 people onboard.
    — Clara McMichael, ABC News, 24 Mar. 2025
Definition of takeoff
Verb
  • Papa uses this moment to gulp the wine in Elijah's cup.
    — Holly Rizzuto Palker, Parents, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Slurp your bev up like a straw or tip the bottle back to gulp it down.
    — Louryn Strampe, WIRED, 22 Mar. 2025
Definition of gulp
Noun
  • The key indexes fell through a trap door right from the latest all-time high set on Feb. 19, at least until the final minutes of Friday’s session, when a huge cluster of buy orders set for the month-end close met a shaken and mildly oversold tape to drive a quick 1.5% levitation in the S & P 500.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Seven months later, playing for Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Carter capped his year of levitation by jumping over France’s 7-2 center, Frederic Weis, en route to a violent, yet somehow, also, elegant, slam in a preliminary round game.
    — Marcus Thompson II, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
Definition of levitation

Browse Nearby Words

hoi polloi
hoist
hoisted
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Cite this Entry

“Hoist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoist. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hoist

Nglish: Translation of hoist for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hoist

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