The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Elevate \El"e*vate\, a. [L. elevatus, p. p.]
   Elevated; raised aloft. [Poetic] --Milton.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Elevate \El"e*vate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Elevated; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Elevating.] [L. elevatus, p. p. of elevare; e +
   levare to lift up, raise, akin to levis light in weight. See
   Levity.]
   1. To bring from a lower place to a higher; to lift up; to
      raise; as, to elevate a weight, a flagstaff, etc.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To raise to a higher station; to promote; as, to elevate
      to an office, or to a high social position.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To raise from a depressed state; to animate; to cheer; as,
      to elevate the spirits.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. To exalt; to ennoble; to dignify; as, to elevate the mind
      or character.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. To raise to a higher pitch, or to a greater degree of
      loudness; -- said of sounds; as, to elevate the voice.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. To intoxicate in a slight degree; to render tipsy.
      [Colloq. & Sportive] "The elevated cavaliers sent for two
      tubs of merry stingo." --Sir W. Scott.
      [1913 Webster]

   7. To lessen; to detract from; to disparage. [A Latin
      meaning] [Obs.] --Jer. Taylor.
      [1913 Webster]

   To elevate a piece (Gun.), to raise the muzzle; to lower
      the breech.

   Syn: To exalt; dignify; ennoble; erect; raise; hoist;
        heighten; elate; cheer; flush; excite; animate.
        [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

elevate
    v 1: give a promotion to or assign to a higher position; "John
         was kicked upstairs when a replacement was hired"; "Women
         tend not to advance in the major law firms"; "I got
         promoted after many years of hard work" [syn: promote,
         upgrade, advance, kick upstairs, raise, elevate]
         [ant: break, bump, demote, kick downstairs,
         relegate]
    2: raise from a lower to a higher position; "Raise your hands";
       "Lift a load" [syn: raise, lift, elevate, get up,
       bring up] [ant: bring down, get down, let down,
       lower, take down]
    3: raise in rank or condition; "The new law lifted many people
       from poverty" [syn: lift, raise, elevate]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

108 Moby Thesaurus words for "elevate":
   acculturate, advance, aggrandize, ameliorate, amend, apotheose,
   apotheosize, beatify, better, boost, bring forward, buoy up,
   canonize, cast up, civilize, crown, deify, edify, educate, elate,
   emend, enhance, enlighten, ennoble, enrich, enshrine, enthrone,
   erect, escalate, exalt, fatten, favor, flush, forward, foster,
   glamorize, glorify, go straight, graduate, heave, heft, heighten,
   heist, hike, hoick, hoist, hold up, immortalize, improve,
   improve upon, jerk up, kick upstairs, knight, knock up, lard,
   levitate, lift, lift up, lionize, lob, loft, magnify,
   make an improvement, make legendary, meliorate, mend, nurture,
   pass, perk up, pick up, pitch, prefer, promote, raise, raise aloft,
   raise up, rear, rear aloft, rear up, refine upon, reform, rise,
   saint, sanctify, set up, sky, socialize, stand upright, stick up,
   straighten out, take up, throne, throw up, transfigure, transform,
   up, upbuoy, upcast, upend, upgrade, upheave, uphoist, uphold,
   uplift, upraise, uprear, upright, upthrow