boost
Americanverb (used with object)
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to lift or raise by pushing from behind or below.
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to advance or aid by speaking well of; promote.
She always boosts her hometown.
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to boost prices;
to boost the horsepower of the car by 20 percent.
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to administer a booster shot to.
Have you and your family been boosted yet?
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Slang. to steal, especially to shoplift.
Two computers were boosted from the office last night.
verb (used without object)
noun
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encouragement, improvement, or help
a boost to morale
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an upward thrust or push
he gave him a boost over the wall
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an increase or rise
a boost in salary
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a publicity campaign; promotion
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the amount by which the induction pressure of a supercharged internal-combustion engine exceeds that of the ambient pressure
verb
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to encourage, assist, or improve
to boost morale
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to lift by giving a push from below or behind
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to increase or raise
to boost the voltage in an electrical circuit
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to cause to rise; increase
to boost sales
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to advertise on a big scale
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to increase the induction pressure of (an internal-combustion engine) above that of the ambient pressure; supercharge
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has boostedperfect 3rd person singular
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have boostedperfect
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am boostingprogressive 1st person singular
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are boostingprogressive
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is boostingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been boostingperfect progressive
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has been boostingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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boostingparticiple
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boostssingular 3rd person
Past
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had boostedperfect
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had been boostingperfect progressive
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were boostingprogressive plural
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was boostingprogressive singular
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boostedsimple
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boostedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of boost
An Americanism dating back to 1815–25; perhaps Scots dialect boose (variant of pouss push ) + (hoi)st
Explanation
Think of the word boost as meaning "help up." Maybe you need a boost getting over a fence (hmm — are you sneaking in or sneaking out?), or maybe you are feeling low and need to boost your spirits — chocolate, anyone? Sometimes words appear that really don't have any clear origins. Boost is one of those words, but it's a fun word, and it's thought that maybe it has some connection to boose, a Scots dialect word that carries the idea of a push. A slang meaning of the word is to sneakily steal, like shoplifting. You gave your cousin a boost into the window, not knowing he was planning on boosting some sneakers.
Vocabulary lists containing boost
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 2
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Higher Learning: Synonyms For "Up"
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"Laws are not the only way to boost immunization”: an editorial from Nature
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The long-anticipated R2, which will eventually be available for less than $45,000, could help boost the market share of the Irvine company better known for vehicles priced around $77,000.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees the space-based cellular broadband industry, gave a boost to Amazon and its efforts to rival Starlink and AST last Friday.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
OpenAI’s confidential IPO filing is a boost for Oracle, supporting its $300 billion AI data center deal.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Some forecasts suggest this El Niño could end up as one of the strongest on record, which is likely to boost temperatures on a planet already made much hotter by climate change.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Tally interlaced her fingers, locking her hands together to give David a boost up to where he could wedge the powerjack between the doors.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
