boosting

1. 1
   noununcountable

   The act or process of raising, improving, or strengthening something.

   The boosting of immune response is one of the main goals of vaccination.

   Continuous boosting of the engine's output demanded a higher-grade fuel.

   Similarstrengthening, enhancement, raising, improvement

   Oppositeweakening, reduction

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle of boost.

   The campaign is boosting voter turnout across several rural counties.

   Engineers are boosting the rocket's thrust for the final ascent.

   Note

   The -ing form carries every meaning of boost: a push up from behind, a lift in numbers, a booster shot, a jump-started battery in Canadian use, even the slang sense of stealing. After a form of be it makes the progressive (is boosting turnout). As a gerund it still takes a direct object (boosting turnout takes work), which separates it from the noun for the process, which pluralizes as boostings and is followed by of.

3. 3
   nounslanguncountable

   An act or instance of theft, especially the stealing of goods from stores.

   Security guards are trained to spot boosting before the thieves reach the exit.

   A wave of boosting hit the downtown shops over the holidays.

   Similarshoplifting, theft, stealing

   Note

   Slang built on the verb boost in its "steal" meaning, at home in the talk of thieves and store security. In formal writing, theft or shoplifting is the safer word. Because it shares its spelling with the everyday noun for raising something, context does the work: the boosting of sales is growth, while boosting at the mall is a crime. It counts either way, as a single boosting or as boosting in general.

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