What does "hoist" mean?
Any member of certain classes of devices that hoist things.
Hoist
/hɔɪst/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any member of certain classes of devices that hoist things.
- Grammar: hoist is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: a leg up, boost, buoy up, carry.
- Useful contrasts: descend, dolly, drop.
- Usage evidence: Hoist your sail when the wind is fair.
How to use "hoist"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hoist" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hoist" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hoist" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hoist" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hoist" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "a leg up" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hoist", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any member of certain classes of devices that hoist things.
- 2 lifting device for raising heavy or cumbersome objects wordnet
- 3 The act of hoisting; a lift.
"Give me a hoist over that wall."
- 4 The triangular vertical position of a flag, as opposed to the flying state, or triangular vertical position of a sail, when flying from a mast.
- 5 The position of a flag (on a mast) or of a sail on a ship when lifted up to its highest level.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The position of a main fore-and-aft topsail on a ship and fore fore-and-aft topsail on a ship.
Verb
- 1 To raise; to lift; to elevate (especially, to raise or lift to a desired elevation, by means of tackle or pulley, said of a sail, a flag, a heavy package or weight). transitive
"For tis the ſport to haue the enginer / Hoiſt with his ovvne petar, an't ſhall goe hard / But I vvill delue one yard belovve their mines, / And blovve them at the Moone: […]"
- 2 raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help wordnet
- 3 To lift a trophy or similar prize into the air in celebration of a victory. figuratively, often, transitive
"And when skipper Richie McCaw hoisted the Webb Ellis Trophy high into the night, a quarter of a century of hurt was blown away in an explosion of fireworks and cheering."
- 4 raise by using ropes and pulleys wordnet
- 5 To lift someone up to be flogged. historical, transitive
"Again Pilatus answered them, What shall I do to the Jew’s king? They again cried out and said, Hoist him! Then said Pilatus, What evil did he? They so much the more cried, Hoist him!"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 move from one place to another by lifting wordnet
- 7 To be lifted up. intransitive
- 8 To extract (code) from a loop construct as part of optimization. transitive
- 9 To steal. slang, transitive
"When you’ve reached neutral territory, when you’ve stashed the loot hoisted from the warlord’s mansion – well, he didn't have much use for it any more, did he?"
- 10 To rob. slang, transitive
"Why, it was nothing to travel about the country with fifty grand worth of ice on me. Suppose I hadn’t packed a roscoe—hell, I’d of been hoisted once a week!"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Hoist your sail when the wind is fair."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hoist"?
Common synonyms include: a leg up, boost, buoy up, carry, cast up, climb up.
How do you use "hoist" in a sentence?
Hoist your sail when the wind is fair.
How do you pronounce "hoist"?
Pronounced /hɔɪst/.
Etymology
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.