facelift

noun

face·​lift ˈfās-ˌlift 

variants or face lift or face-lift

plural facelifts or face lifts or face-lifts

1

: plastic surgery on the face and neck to remove or reduce signs of aging (such as wrinkles or sagging skin)

[Robert] Redford's publicist of 33 years, Lois Smith, denies her client has had any sort of facelift, eye job or chemical peel. "He's never, never, never had cosmetic surgery," she says.

—People Weekly

Many face lifts last between five and 10 years, but the procedure can cause hematomas, bleeding and nerve damage …

—Mary Murphy

Technically, a face-lift "lifts" both the face and the neck, and many plastic surgeons believe the neck shows the more dramatic improvement.

—Vogue

2

: an alteration, restoration, or restyling (as of a building) intended especially to modernize

The facelift was intended to return the 95-year-old hall's acclaimed acoustics to original purity …

—US News & World Report

Over time, the building was given a $15 million face lift, which created a new entrance on Fifth Avenue, subdued but plush interiors and escalators.

—Carrie Donovan

All 48 models from kids bikes to $3,000 racing bikes were redesigned … and each got a color and graphics face-lift.

—Laura Loro

facelift transitive verb

or face-lift or less commonly face lift

facelifted or face-lifted also face lifted; facelifting or face-lifting also face lifting; facelifts or face-lifts also face lifts

… said she would like to add more parking and continue to work on facelifting the venue.

—Dean Manning

… a former vaudeville palace recently face-lifted into a glittering performing arts center.

—Priit Vesilind

Examples of facelift in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To be clear about the Fed’s actions, to suggest that higher rates would strengthen the dollar is like saying a facelift will fix a broken leg. —John Tamny, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025

Suites recently received a contemporary facelift following multimillion-dollar upgrades to standard rooms, and the spa’s design and programming have likewise been modernized. —Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2025

In a boom era for big music venues, the Shrine gets a facelift for its 100th anniversary. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025

This facelift comes as the Barbican has shaken up its top brass over the last year. —George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Feb. 2025

The first location opened its doors in Geneva in 1997 with a focus on laser treatments, and the clinic has since expanded its purview to include botox and filler injections; facials and peels; body sculpting treatments, and cosmetic procedures including facelifts. —Noor Lobad, WWD, 13 Feb. 2025

The facelift will include a new scoreboard that will be installed in time for 2025-26. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025

For its golden anniversary, Facets is getting a marketing facelift. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025

The legendary arcade shooter gets a graphical facelift. —Gabriel Zamora, PCMAG, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for facelift

• adrift
• airlift
• festschrift
• forklift
• gearshift
• makeshift
• redshift
• sealift
• snowdrift
• spendthrift
• clift
• drift

Kids Definition

face-lift

noun

ˈfā-ˌslift

1

: plastic surgery on the face and neck to remove defects and imperfections (as wrinkles or sagging skin)

2

: an alteration, restoration, or remodeling (as of a building) intended especially to make more modern

face-lift verb

Medical Definition

facelift

noun

face·​lift

variants or face lift or face-lift

ˈfā-ˌslift 

: plastic surgery on the face and neck to remove or reduce signs of aging (such as wrinkles or sagging skin)

called also rhytidectomy

facelift transitive verb

or face-lift also face lift