To elevate means to raise something to a higher position or level. When you elevate your hand in class, you lift it up. When a doctor tells an injured athlete to elevate their sprained ankle, they mean to prop it up on pillows so it's higher than the heart, which helps reduce swelling.

The word also means raising something in importance, quality, or status. A talented director can elevate a simple story into a masterpiece by bringing out deeper meanings. When a coach elevates a player from the practice squad to the starting lineup, she's recognizing that player's improved skills. A teacher might elevate classroom discussion by asking thoughtful questions that make students think more deeply.

You can elevate ideas, conversations, performances, or even people's spirits. When someone says you elevated the team's performance, they mean you helped everyone play better. The word suggests improvement and uplift: making something not just different, but genuinely better or more significant than it was before.

Elevation is the noun form, referring both to height above sea level and to the act of raising something up.