diff --git a/base/exports.jl b/base/exports.jl
index 306697bbf229f..537e4e92fb016 100644
--- a/base/exports.jl
+++ b/base/exports.jl
@@ -1320,6 +1320,7 @@ export
 # nullable types
     isnull,
     unsafe_get,
+    lift
 
 # Macros
     # parser internal
diff --git a/base/nullable.jl b/base/nullable.jl
index dfcec4f68dd3e..cdc132f077bb3 100644
--- a/base/nullable.jl
+++ b/base/nullable.jl
@@ -215,3 +215,138 @@ function hash(x::Nullable, h::UInt)
         return hash(x.value, h + nullablehash_seed)
     end
 end
+
+##############################################################################
+##
+## Standard lifting semantics
+##
+## For a function call f(xs...), return null if any x in xs is null;
+## otherwise, return f applied to values of xs.
+##
+##############################################################################
+
+@inline function lift(f, x)
+    if null_safe_op(f, typeof(x))
+        return @compat Nullable(f(x.value), !isnull(x))
+    else
+        U = Core.Inference.return_type(f, Tuple{eltype(typeof(x))})
+        if isnull(x)
+            return Nullable{U}()
+        else
+            return Nullable(f(unsafe_get(x)))
+        end
+    end
+end
+
+@inline function lift(f, x1, x2)
+    if null_safe_op(f, typeof(x1), typeof(x2))
+        return @compat Nullable(
+            f(x1.value, x2.value), !(isnull(x1) | isnull(x2))
+        )
+    else
+        U = Core.Inference.return_type(
+            f, Tuple{eltype(typeof(x1)), eltype(typeof(x2))}
+        )
+        if isnull(x1) | isnull(x2)
+            return Nullable{U}()
+        else
+            return Nullable(f(unsafe_get(x1), unsafe_get(x2)))
+        end
+    end
+end
+
+@inline function lift(f, xs...)
+    if null_safe_op(f, map(typeof, xs)...)
+        return @compat Nullable(
+            f(map(unsafe_get, xs)...), !(mapreduce(isnull, |, xs))
+        )
+    else
+        U = Core.Inference.return_type(
+            f, Tuple{map(x->eltype(typeof(x)), xs)...}
+        )
+        if hasnulls(xs)
+            return Nullable{U}()
+        else
+            return Nullable(f(map(unsafe_get, xs)...))
+        end
+    end
+end
+
+##############################################################################
+##
+## Non-standard lifting semantics
+##
+##############################################################################
+
+# three-valued logic implementation
+@inline function lift(::typeof(&), x, y)::Nullable{Bool}
+    return ifelse( isnull(x),
+        ifelse( isnull(y),
+            Nullable{Bool}(),                       # x, y null
+            ifelse( unsafe_get(y),
+                Nullable{Bool}(),                   # x null, y == true
+                Nullable(false)                     # x null, y == false
+            )
+        ),
+        ifelse( isnull(y),
+            ifelse( unsafe_get(x),
+                Nullable{Bool}(),                   # x == true, y null
+                Nullable(false)                     # x == false, y null
+            ),
+            Nullable(unsafe_get(x) & unsafe_get(y)) # x, y not null
+        )
+    )
+end
+
+# three-valued logic implementation
+@inline function lift(::typeof(|), x, y)::Nullable{Bool}
+    return ifelse( isnull(x),
+        ifelse( isnull(y),
+            Nullable{Bool}(),                       # x, y null
+            ifelse( unsafe_get(y),
+                Nullable(true),                     # x null, y == true
+                Nullable{Bool}()                    # x null, y == false
+            )
+        ),
+        ifelse( isnull(y),
+            ifelse( unsafe_get(x),
+                Nullable(true),                     # x == true, y null
+                Nullable{Bool}()                    # x == false, y null
+            ),
+            Nullable(unsafe_get(x) | unsafe_get(y)) # x, y not null
+        )
+    )
+end
+
+# TODO: Decide on semantics for isequal and uncomment the following
+# @inline function lift(::typeof(isequal), x, y)
+#     return ifelse( isnull(x),
+#         ifelse( isnull(y),
+#             true,                                   # x, y null
+#             false                                   # x null, y not null
+#         ),
+#         ifelse( isnull(y),
+#             false,                                   # x not null, y null
+#             isequal(unsafe_get(x), unsafe_get(y))    # x, y not null
+#         )
+#     )
+# end
+
+@inline function lift(::typeof(isless), x, y)::Bool
+    if null_safe_op(isless, typeof(x), typeof(y))
+        return ifelse( isnull(x),
+            false,                                      # x null
+            ifelse( isnull(y),
+                true,                                   # x not null, y null
+                isless(unsafe_get(x), unsafe_get(y))    # x, y not null
+            )
+        )
+    else
+        return  isnull(x) ? false :
+                isnull(y) ? true  : isless(unsafe_get(x), unsafe_get(y))
+    end
+end
+
+@inline lift(::typeof(isnull), x) = isnull(x)
+@inline lift(::typeof(get), x::Nullable) = get(x)
+@inline lift(::typeof(get), x::Nullable, y) = get(x, y)
diff --git a/test/nullable.jl b/test/nullable.jl
index 819cd4a5871ce..9da998e329c58 100644
--- a/test/nullable.jl
+++ b/test/nullable.jl
@@ -387,3 +387,121 @@ end
 
 # issue #11675
 @test repr(Nullable()) == "Nullable{Union{}}()"
+
+##############################################################################
+##
+## Test standard lifting semantics
+##
+##############################################################################
+
+types = [
+    Float16,
+    Float32,
+    Float64,
+    Int128,
+    Int16,
+    Int32,
+    Int64,
+    Int8,
+    UInt16,
+    UInt32,
+    UInt64,
+    UInt8,
+]
+
+f(x::Number) = 5 * x
+f(x::Number, y::Number) = x + y
+f(x::Number, y::Number, z::Number) = x + y * z
+
+for T in types
+    a = one(T)
+    x = Nullable{T}(a)
+    y = Nullable{T}()
+
+    U1 = Core.Inference.return_type(f, Tuple{T})
+    @test isequal(SQ.lift(f, x), Nullable(f(a)))
+    @test isequal(SQ.lift(f, y), Nullable{U1}())
+
+    U2 = Core.Inference.return_type(f, Tuple{T, T})
+    @test isequal(SQ.lift(f, x, x), Nullable(f(a, a)))
+    @test isequal(SQ.lift(f, x, y), Nullable{U2}())
+
+    U3 = Core.Inference.return_type(f, Tuple{T, T, T})
+    @test isequal(SQ.lift(f, x, x, x), Nullable(f(a, a, a)))
+    @test isequal(SQ.lift(f, x, y, x), Nullable{U3}())
+end
+
+##############################################################################
+##
+## Test non-standard lifting semantics
+##
+##############################################################################
+
+# three-valued logic
+
+# & truth table
+v1 = SQ.lift(&, Nullable(true), Nullable(true))
+v2 = SQ.lift(&, Nullable(true), Nullable(false))
+v3 = SQ.lift(&, Nullable(true), Nullable{Bool}())
+v4 = SQ.lift(&, Nullable(false), Nullable(true))
+v5 = SQ.lift(&, Nullable(false), Nullable(false))
+v6 = SQ.lift(&, Nullable(false), Nullable{Bool}())
+v7 = SQ.lift(&, Nullable{Bool}(), Nullable(true))
+v8 = SQ.lift(&, Nullable{Bool}(), Nullable(false))
+v9 = SQ.lift(&, Nullable{Bool}(), Nullable{Bool}())
+
+@test isequal(v1, Nullable(true))
+@test isequal(v2, Nullable(false))
+@test isequal(v3, Nullable{Bool}())
+@test isequal(v4, Nullable(false))
+@test isequal(v5, Nullable(false))
+@test isequal(v6, Nullable(false))
+@test isequal(v7, Nullable{Bool}())
+@test isequal(v8, Nullable(false))
+@test isequal(v9, Nullable{Bool}())
+
+# | truth table
+u1 = SQ.lift(|, Nullable(true), Nullable(true))
+u2 = SQ.lift(|, Nullable(true), Nullable(false))
+u3 = SQ.lift(|, Nullable(true), Nullable{Bool}())
+u4 = SQ.lift(|, Nullable(false), Nullable(true))
+u5 = SQ.lift(|, Nullable(false), Nullable(false))
+u6 = SQ.lift(|, Nullable(false), Nullable{Bool}())
+u7 = SQ.lift(|, Nullable{Bool}(), Nullable(true))
+u8 = SQ.lift(|, Nullable{Bool}(), Nullable(false))
+u9 = SQ.lift(|, Nullable{Bool}(), Nullable{Bool}())
+
+@test isequal(u1, Nullable(true))
+@test isequal(u2, Nullable(true))
+@test isequal(u3, Nullable(true))
+@test isequal(u4, Nullable(true))
+@test isequal(u5, Nullable(false))
+@test isequal(u6, Nullable{Bool}())
+@test isequal(u7, Nullable(true))
+@test isequal(u8, Nullable{Bool}())
+@test isequal(u9, Nullable{Bool}())
+
+# others
+
+x1 = Nullable(1)
+x2 = Nullable(2)
+y = Nullable{Int}()
+z1 = 1
+z2 = 2
+
+@test SQ.lift(isnull, x1) == false
+@test SQ.lift(isnull, y) == true
+
+@test SQ.lift(isless, x1, y) == true
+@test SQ.lift(isless, y, x1) == false
+@test SQ.lift(isless, x1, x2) == true
+@test SQ.lift(isless, x2, x1) == false
+@test SQ.lift(isless, y, y) == false
+@test SQ.lift(isless, x1, z2) == true
+@test SQ.lift(isless, x2, z1) == false
+@test SQ.lift(isless, z1, x2) == true
+@test SQ.lift(isless, z2, x1) == false
+
+@test SQ.lift(get, x1) == 1
+@test_throws NullException SQ.lift(get, y)
+@test SQ.lift(get, y, 1) == 1