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hoist

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To raise or lift, especially with ropes; also, to be lifted (as in “hoist with his own petard”).

Detailed Definition
“Hoist” implies mechanical elevation or ironic reversal. In poetry, it describes sails, banners, or traitors caught in their schemes. The verb’s nautical origin enriches adventure verse; its Shakespearean twist adds dramatic irony. Poets use it to explore how ambition lifts or topples, linking physical motion to moral consequence.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Hoist the sail to catch the morning wind,” in a sea lyric; In Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “Hoist up the sail to catch the wind”; “They hoist the banner of rebellion high,” a line of political verse; “Hoist not your hopes too high, lest they fall,” cautions a moralist; “The ghost hoisted its chains with mournful clank”; Hoist your voice in song, not in strife.
Additional Notes
“Hoist” gained ironic fame via Hamlet’s “hoist with his own petard”; in poetry, it underscores poetic justice—where one’s scheme backfires—making it a concise vehicle for karmic reversal or dramatic irony.
Also Known As
raise lift elevate
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