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

The Barkley Dam is undergoing a similar facelift, with its four five-blade turbines being replaced with six-blade turbines, at approximately $80 million. —D. Hunter Reardon, USA Today, 3 June 2026

Jacques Garcia, the man behind Hotel Costes, who gave La Mamounia an extensive facelift in 2009, is a design sensation. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

O'Donnell, 64, a former cohost on The View, opened up about her facelift on her Substack just a few days earlier. —Staff Author, InStyle, 29 May 2026

The 2002 Ferrari 575M Maranello facelift that followed merely tweaked around the edges; improving on a car so close to perfect was nearly impossible. —Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 28 May 2026

For the Old Orland Historic District, which extends south of 143rd Street to 144th Place and east of West Avenue to Beacon Avenue, priorities agreed on by more than one board member included giving existing properties a facelift and balancing historic preservation with development. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026

O'Donnell, who got the facelift in January, wrote in her essay that she was shocked when no one seemed to notice. —Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 27 May 2026

Rosie O'Donnell is opening up about her facelift journey and shared a before-and-after photo of her transformation. —Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 27 May 2026

O'Donnell sat for a few months with the idea of getting a facelift, then realized that not doing would also send her child a message. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 27 May 2026

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