levitation

Everyday

Levitation is rising or floating in the air without anything visible holding it up, as if by magic. tree →

In the lessons

In stories, fantasy and magic shows, wizards and magicians make people or objects levitate; magicians use hidden tricks and illusions. In science, real levitation can be done with magnets (maglev trains float above the track) or with air or sound pushing up; it always has a force behind it. In lessons about tricks and illusions, pupils learn that magic levitation is a trick, not real magic. Phrases: magnetic levitation, a levitation trick.

Examples

• The magician's levitation trick amazed the audience. tree →
• Maglev trains use magnetic levitation to float above the track. tree →
• In the story, the wizard used levitation to lift the rock. tree →
• The levitation was an illusion with a hidden support. tree →
• We made a paper clip float using a magnet, a kind of levitation. tree →
• Real levitation always needs a force like magnetism or air. tree →

Note

Uncountable. Verb: levitate. Trap: no person can truly float by magic or by thinking hard; stage levitation is a trick. In science, gravity pulls everything down, so levitation needs an upward force to balance it.