What does "boosting" mean?

1. (improving or increasing) making something better, stronger, or more successful. 2. (an improvement or lift) the process of giving something a push or an increase. 3. (shoplifting) stealing goods from a store to sell them later.

How do you use "boosting"?

Often used with abstract nouns like 'morale', 'confidence', or 'economy'.

boosting

v. · n.

US //ˈbustɪŋ// UK //bˈuːstɪŋ// boost·ing

1 improving or increasing (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

making something better, stronger, or more successful.

the act of increasing, augmenting, or improving the performance or status of something.

Example

The company is boosting its advertising budget to attract more customers this summer.

Example

By boosting the signal strength across the rural network, the provider significantly reduced the number of dropped calls during peak hours.

Usage

Often used with abstract nouns like 'morale', 'confidence', or 'economy'.
- reducing
- hindering
2 an improvement or lift (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

the process of giving something a push or an increase.

the action or process of providing an increase or improvement.

Example

The boosting of the minimum wage helped many families pay their bills.

Example

The systematic boosting of the brand's social media presence led to a measurable rise in organic web traffic over the fiscal quarter.
- decrease
- drop

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3 shoplifting (n.)
C1 Advanced Slang American English

stealing goods from a store to sell them later.

the act of stealing retail merchandise, often for the purpose of resale.

Example

He got caught boosting clothes from the mall and had to talk to the police.

Example

The security team was specifically trained to identify professional boosting operations that targeted high-end designer boutiques.

Teacher's tip

This is a specific American slang term; in most everyday contexts, 'shoplifting' is the standard term used by learners.