Hoist
verbTo raise or lift something, often heavy, using ropes, pulleys, or physical effort.
How to spell hoist
5 letters · 1 syllable
How to pronounce hoist
What does hoist mean?
- verbTo raise or lift something, often heavy, using ropes, pulleys, or physical effort.
- nounA device or piece of apparatus used for lifting heavy objects.
Hoist in a sentence
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verb
The crew used a crane to hoist the cargo onto the deck.
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noun
The garage installed a new hoist to lift the engine block.
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verb
Workers hoist the steel beam into position with a pulley.
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noun
The warehouse hoist broke down under the weight of the pallet.
Where does hoist come from?
Language of origin: Dutch
Hoist comes from an earlier English verb 'hoise', which appeared in the 1500s and meant to raise or lift something with effort. That verb was borrowed from the seafaring vocabulary of the Low Countries and northern Germany, where Middle Dutch had 'hijssen' and Low German 'hissen', both meaning to haul up, especially to raise a sail or flag on a ship. Sailors using ropes and pulleys spread the word through ports, and over time the final 't' attached itself to 'hoise', giving the modern spelling 'hoist'. The same nautical family lies behind related forms found across Scandinavian and continental languages, which is why the word still carries a strong flavour of ropes, rigging, and lifting gear. The spelling trap is mild but real: the 'oi' vowel and the silent-feeling slide into 'st' can tempt a stray 'e' or a doubled letter that does not belong.
How the word is built
- hoist (single root, from earlier 'hoise'; no prefix or suffix)
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