elbow
Americannoun
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the bend or joint of the human arm between upper arm and forearm.
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the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped.
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something bent like an elbow, as a sharp turn in a road or river, or a piece of pipe bent at an angle.
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Architecture. crossette.
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Also called ell, el. a plumbing pipe or pipe connection having a right-angled bend.
verb (used with object)
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to push with or as if with the elbow; jostle.
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to make (one's way) by so pushing.
verb (used without object)
idioms
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at one's elbow, within easy reach; nearby.
A virtue of the cottage is that the ocean is at your elbow.
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rub elbows with, to mingle socially with; associate with.
a resort where royalty rubs elbows with the merely rich.
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out at the elbows, Also out at elbows.
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poorly dressed; shabby.
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impoverished.
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bend / lift / crook an elbow, to drink alcoholic beverages.
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give the elbow, shove aside, get rid of, or reject.
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up to one's elbows, very busy; engrossed: Also up to the elbows.
I am up to my elbows in answering mail.
noun
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the joint between the upper arm and the forearm, formed by the junction of the radius and ulna with the humerus
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the corresponding joint or bone of birds or mammals
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the part of a garment that covers the elbow
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something resembling an elbow, such as a sharp bend in a road or river
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within easy reach
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ragged or impoverished
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busily occupied with; deeply immersed in
verb
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(tr) to reject; dismiss. Also: give the elbow
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to make (one's way) by shoving, jostling, etc
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(tr) to knock or shove with or as if with the elbow
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have elbowedperfect
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has elbowedperfect 3rd person singular
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are elbowingprogressive
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is elbowingprogressive 3rd person singular
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elbowssingular 3rd person
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have been elbowingperfect progressive
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am elbowingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been elbowingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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elbowingparticiple
Past
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had elbowedperfect
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were elbowingprogressive plural
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was elbowingprogressive singular
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had been elbowingperfect progressive
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elbowedsimple
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elbowedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of elbow
before 1000; Middle English elbowe, Old English el ( n ) boga; cognate with Middle Dutch elle ( n ) bōghe, Old High German el ( l ) inbogo ( German Ellenbogen ), Old Norse ǫl ( n ) bogi; literally, “forearm-bend.” See ell 2, bow 1
Explanation
Your elbow is the bendy part of your arm between your wrist and your shoulder. Sometimes people use their pointy elbows to elbow people out of the way. Your elbows are major joints in your arms, making it possible for you to do many things — including get scolded for having your elbows rudely on the table while you eat. Clothing can be said to have elbows as well: "I like your professor jacket with the patches on the elbows." Other inanimate objects with elbows include rivers and pipes: a sharp bend in either of these is also called an elbow.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When we made it back home after being gone for two weeks, I had to put elbow grease into scrubbing the caked-on dog drool off the side of the car.
From Salon • Jun. 1, 2026
Blake Snell, recovering from surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, is throwing plyo balls but is not on a throwing progression yet like closer Edwin Díaz.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026
Eventually the loss of Jurgen Locadio, the hulking forward who walked in the 38th minute after an elbow on Aaron Hickey, told.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy also had an internal brace procedure done when he had elbow ligament damage.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
She doesn’t notice me right away, so I go and touch her elbow.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
