hoist: Meaning and Definition of

hoist

Pronunciation: (hoist or, sometimes, hīst), [key]
— v.t.
  1. to raise or lift, esp. by some mechanical appliance: to hoist a flag; to hoist the mainsail.
  2. to raise to one's lips and drink; drink (esp. beer or whiskey) with gusto: Let's go hoist a few beers.
  3. a pt. and pp. of
  4. See(def. 4).
—n.
  1. an apparatus for hoisting, as a block and tackle, a derrick, or a crane.
  2. act of hoisting; a lift: Give that sofa a hoist at your end.
    1. the vertical dimension amidships of any square sail that is hoisted with a yard. Cf. drop (def. 28).
    2. the distance between the hoisted and the lowered position of such a yard.
    3. the dimension of a fore-and-aft sail along the luff.
    4. a number of flags raised together as a signal.
  3. (on a flag)
    1. the vertical dimension as flown from a vertical staff.
    2. the edge running next to the staff. Cf. fly (def. 36b).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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