hoist
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to lift something heavy into the air, often using ropes or a machine.
v.to raise or lift a heavy object, especially by means of tackle, pulleys, or mechanical apparatus.
Simple“The construction workers used a crane to hoist the steel beams to the top floor.”
In context“The crew managed to hoist the mainsail just as the wind began to pick up, allowing the vessel to gain significant speed.”
UsageOften used with 'up' as a phrasal verb: 'hoist up'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to lift a trophy high in the air to celebrate winning a competition.
v.to lift a trophy or prize aloft as a symbolic gesture of victory.
Simple“The captain was the first to hoist the trophy after the final whistle.”
In context“After a grueling season, the team finally had the opportunity to hoist the championship cup in front of their home fans.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
- 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to move code to a different part of a program to make it run faster.
v.to move a declaration or operation out of a loop or to the top of a scope to optimize execution.
Simple“The compiler will hoist the constant calculation out of the loop to save time.”
In context“By hoisting the variable declarations, the developer ensured that memory was allocated only once before the iterative process began.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a machine or device used for lifting heavy things.
n.a mechanical device used for lifting or lowering a load, such as an elevator or a pulley system.
Simple“The garage has a hydraulic hoist to lift cars so the mechanic can work underneath.”
In context“The warehouse was equipped with an electric hoist capable of moving pallets weighing up to two tons.”
“The Associated Press reported that one American soldier “hoisted an iron beam to his shoulder to free some trapped children,” only to lose his arm when the structure collapsed.”
“McKayla pushed the kids up onto the roof before hoisting herself up.”
Alteration of earlier hoise (“to hoist”), apparently based on the past tense forms, from Middle Dutch hisen (“to hoist”). Compare modern Dutch hijsen (“to hoist”), German hissen (“to hoist”), Danish hejse (“to hoist”). Compare also French hisser (“to hoist”), Galician isar (“to hoist”), Spanish izar (“to hoist”), Catalan hissar (“to hoist”), Italian issare (“to hoist”), Portuguese içar (“to hoist”), Sicilian jisari (“to hoist”), all borrowed from a Germanic source.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.