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

San Francisco gave itself a major facelift this offseason by letting several key members of its defense leave. —Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025

Gallatin Planning Director Brian Rose says the burger, shakes and fries restaurant at 1006 Westgate Drive is getting a facelift. —Katie Nixon, The Tennessean, 3 Sep. 2025

As the college football season begins in earnest on Saturday, universities like Auburn are giving their home fields a facelift. —Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025

In the future, Hintz wants to continue giving the indoor spaces a facelift with things like new locker rooms, food and beverage offerings and possibly day care. —Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 29 Aug. 2025

The rebrand comes as Cracker Barrel continues renovations at some of its locations around the country, giving restaurants a more modern facelift. —Melina Khan, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025

Either way, this represents a complete facelift of last season’s quarterback room of Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and DeVito. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025

The new signage is put up on the exterior and an interior facelift on the main building is being planned for this winter with the goal of having a fresh look by February. —Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 20 Aug. 2025

Kissimmee’s Civic Center is getting a $180 million facelift. —Natalia Jaramillo, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 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