levitation

noun

lev·​i·​ta·​tion ˌle-və-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce levitation (audio)
: the act or process of levitating
especially : the rising or lifting of a person or thing by means held to be supernatural
levitational adjective

Examples of levitation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
By the second half of last week, the tape had settled back into a low-drama upward grind, the kind of boring-is-beautiful action that often prevails in trending bull markets, including Friday’s late-day levitation to seal a 5.3% weekly gain. Michael Santoli, CNBC, 17 May 2025 McCartney, who originated the role in London, promises a Broadway show that’s harder, faster, better — and packed with more high-tech onstage illusions including levitation and elaborate set pieces that arrive from all directions. Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 22 Apr. 2025 For much of its history, the Church has had to defend itself against accusations that levitations, apparitions, and other miracles were not the work of God but that of the devil. Emily Harnett, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025 Seven months later, playing for Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Carter capped his year of levitation by jumping over France’s 7-2 center, Frederic Weis, en route to a violent, yet somehow, also, elegant, slam in a preliminary round game. Marcus Thompson Ii, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for levitation

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin levitātiōn-, levitātiō, from Latin levis "light" + New Latin -itātiōn-, -itātiō in gravitātiō gravitation — more at light entry 4

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of levitation was in 1668

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Cite this Entry

“Levitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/levitation. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

levitation

noun
lev·​i·​ta·​tion ˌlev-ə-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce levitation (audio)
: the act or process of levitating
especially : the rising or lifting of a person or thing as if by magic

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