optillen

Optillen is a Dutch verb meaning to lift up or raise. It is a separable-prefix verb formed from op (up) and tillen (to lift). In standard Dutch, the prefix op- is typically separated from tillen in main clauses, so the sentence is built with the prefix placed at the end of the clause, while the base verb carries the conjugation. In compound tenses the past participle is opgetild and is used with have (hebben): for example, hij heeft de doos opgetild.

The reflexive form zich optillen exists and is used to describe lifting oneself, such as sitting up in bed or rising to a standing position. This reflexive usage highlights an action performed by the subject on its own body.

Optillen covers both literal lifting of objects and figurative lifting of conditions or situations. Literally, it means to raise something from a lower position, such as "de doos optillen" (to lift the box). Figuratively, it can indicate improving or uplifting a situation, a mood, a market, or a project, depending on context and collocation.

Related terms include tilten (to lift) and opheffen (to raise or suspend in a different sense). Optillen is commonly used in everyday language as well as in technical or descriptive contexts involving lifting operations or upward changes.