Twisting a lever to lift (8)
I believe the answer is:
elevator
'lift' is the definition.
('elevator' can be a synonym of 'lift')
'twisting a lever to' is the wordplay.
'twisting' indicates anagramming the letters.
'a'+'lever'+'to'='aleverto'
'aleverto' anagrammed gives 'ELEVATOR'.
(Other definitions for elevator that I've seen before include "Cage that is raised and lowered mechanically in a vertical shaft" , "I go up" , "part of tail muscle" , "what makes flight unnecessary" , "it's uplifting" .)