Library / English Dictionary

BOOST

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of giving hope or support to someone

Synonyms:

boost; encouragement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("boost" is a kind of...):

aid; assist; assistance; help (the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "boost"):

morale booster; morale building (anything that serves to increase morale)

Derivation:

boost (give a boost to; be beneficial to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of giving a push

Example:

he gave her a boost over the fence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("boost" is a kind of...):

push; pushing (the act of applying force in order to move something away)

Derivation:

boost (push or shove upward, as if from below or behind)

boost (contribute to the progress or growth of)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An increase in cost

Example:

they asked for a 10% rise in rates

Synonyms:

boost; cost increase; hike; rise

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("boost" is a kind of...):

increase; increment (the amount by which something increases)

Derivation:

boost (increase)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Give a boost to; be beneficial to

Example:

The tax cut will boost the economy

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "boost" is one way to...):

increase (make bigger or more)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

boost (the act of giving hope or support to someone)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Increase or raise

Example:

boost the voltage in an electrical circuit

Synonyms:

advance; boost; supercharge

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "boost" is one way to...):

increase (make bigger or more)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Push or shove upward, as if from below or behind

Example:

The singer had to be boosted onto the stage by a special contraption

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "boost" is one way to...):

thrust (push forcefully)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

boost (the act of giving a push)

booster (the first stage of a multistage rocket)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Increase

Example:

The landlord hiked up the rents

Synonyms:

boost; hike; hike up

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "boost" is one way to...):

bring up; elevate; get up; lift; raise (raise from a lower to a higher position)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

boost (an increase in cost)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Contribute to the progress or growth of

Example:

I am promoting the use of computers in the classroom

Synonyms:

advance; boost; encourage; further; promote

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "boost" is one way to...):

back up; support (give moral or psychological support, aid, or courage to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "boost"):

connive at; wink at (give one's silent approval to)

foster; further (promote the growth of)

spur (incite or stimulate)

help (contribute to the furtherance of)

carry (take further or advance)

feed (support or promote)

conduce; contribute; lead (be conducive to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

boost (the act of giving a push)

booster (someone who is an active supporter and advocate)

booster (a person who backs a politician or a team etc.)

Credits

 Context examples: 

He can only give you a boost on the path you eternally must tread.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The team thus tested whether boosting excitatory currents could activate compensatory currents in susceptible mice.

(Self-tuning neurons promote resilience to stress, depression, NIH)

Two of those – ebselen and 6-thioguanine – were then found to both boost SUMOylation in rat cells and keep them alive in the absence of oxygen and glucose.

(Hibernating ground squirrels provide clues to new stroke treatments, National Institutes of Health)

Mysteries linger about why particles get such a huge energy boost around black holes, forming dramatic jets that surge away from the poles of black holes at nearly the speed of light.

(Black Hole Image Makes History, NASA)

Beta-D-glucans may promote dendritic cell (DC) maturation; increase interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and immunoglobulin levels; and may enhance natural killer (NK) cell activity, potentially boosting anti-tumor host immune responses.

(Agaricus blazei Murill Extract, NCI Thesaurus)

Transplanting the microbiota of regular-fed mutant mice to young mice boosted Prevotella levels and sped osteomyelitis.

(Diet Affects Autoinflammatory Disease Via Gut Microbes, NIH)

DC processing of NY-ESO-1 may boost the immune system to mount a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response (CTL) against cancer cells expressing NY-ESO-1.

(DEC-205/NY-ESO-1 Fusion Protein CDX-1401, NCI Thesaurus)

A special type of immune cell that is found in tissues, such as the skin, and boosts immune responses by showing antigens on its surface to other cells of the immune system.

(Dendritic cell, NCI Dictionary)

Vaccines using pieces of the Melan-A protein are being studied for their ability to boost the immune response to cancer cells in patients with melanoma.

(Melan-A protein, NCI Dictionary)

IL-1-alfa made in the laboratory is used as a biological response modifier to boost the immune system in cancer therapy.

(IL-1-alfa, NCI Dictionary)