boost
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Something that helps, or adds power or effectiveness.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
boostIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbust
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Push or shove upward, as if from below or behind
“The singer had to be boosted onto the stage by a special contraption.”
transitive
To lift or push from behind (one who is endeavoring to climb); to push up.
transitiveby extension
To help or encourage (something) to increase or improve; to assist in overcoming obstacles.
Increase or raise
Give a boost to; be beneficial to
“The tax cut will boost the economy.”
canadatransitive
To jump-start a vehicle by using cables to connect the battery in a running vehicle to the battery in a vehicle that won't start.
noun
Something that helps, or adds power or effectiveness; assistance.
A push from behind or below, as to one who is endeavoring to climb.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Push or shove upward, as if from below or behind
Used this way, boost is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The singer had to be boosted onto the stage by a special contraption.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Push / liftverb
“The singer had to be boosted onto the stage by a special contraption.”
Giveverb
“The tax cut will boost the economy.”
More ways to use boost
- “The singer had to be boosted onto the stage by a special contraption.”verb
- “The tax cut will boost the economy.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A person who backs a politician or a team etc.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An amplifier for restoring the strength of a transmitted signal.
A jumper that consists of a short piece of wire.
An additional dose that makes sure the first dose was effective.
The first stage of a multistage rocket.
An additional dose that makes sure the first dose was effective.
An amplifier for restoring the strength of a transmitted signal.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.