Lift one amid the throng (5)
I believe the answer is:
hoist
'lift' is the definition.
(hoist can mean to lift something up)
'one amid the throng' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'amid' is an insertion indicator.
'the throng' becomes 'host' (host is a kind of throng).
'i' going inside 'host' is 'HOIST'.
(Other definitions for hoist that I've seen before include "Lift with ropes and pulleys" , "Raise on pulleys" , "set of flags" , "Elevate" , "Lifting tackle" .)