elevator

American  

[el-uh-vey-ter] / ˈɛl əˌveɪ tər /

noun

• elevators
  plural

1. a person or thing that elevates or raises.

2. a moving platform or cage for carrying passengers or freight from one level to another, as in a building.

3. any of various mechanical devices for raising objects or materials.

4. a building in which grain is stored and handled by means of mechanical elevator and conveyor devices.

5. Aeronautics. a hinged horizontal surface on an airplane or the like, used to control the longitudinal inclination and usually placed at the tail end of the fuselage.

6. elevator shoe.

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elevator British  

/ ˈɛlɪˌveɪtə /

noun

1. a person or thing that elevates

2. a mechanical hoist for raising something, esp grain or coal, often consisting of a chain of scoops linked together on a conveyor belt

3. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): lift.  a platform, compartment, or cage raised or lowered in a vertical shaft to transport persons or goods in a building

4. a large granary equipped with an elevator and, usually, facilities for cleaning and grading the grain

5. any muscle that raises a part of the body

6. a surgical instrument for lifting a part of the body

7. a control surface on the tailplane of an aircraft, for making it climb or descend

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• elevators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of elevator

1640–50; < Late Latin ēlevātor, equivalent to ēlevā ( re ) ( see elevate) + -tor -tor

Explanation

An elevator is a machine that carries passengers to higher and lower floors in a tall building. Even though you usually take the stairs to your apartment, when you're exhausted you might decide to take the elevator instead. Most elevators run on electricity, although in the 19th century the first elevators used steam power to move heavy goods in coal mines. Today, elevators are legally required in tall buildings, so that people who aren't able to climb stairs have access to all floors. In the 1640's, elevator meant "muscles used to raise the body," from the Latin elevator, "one who raises up."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

elevator elevators

Curry flexed his versatile acting through more than Frank-N-Furter’s showy elevator debut and his vulnerable “I’m Going Home” finale.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

The property is also equipped with an elevator and smart home features.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

They showed significant deterioration in several measures, including elevator and aileron control, landing accuracy and vertical and lateral deviation on approach.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

"The mining sector is dying out in Poland and you have to change something in your life," he says, harnessed and ready to take the elevator to the top of a turbine.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

Two levels down, the elevator opened onto an exquisite gallery.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

They also work at a low frequency and are able to penetrate buildings and elevators and particularly hospitals - which can have thickened walls to protect people from X-rays and other radiation.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

They talked about chairlifts and home elevators, but decided those solved only one issue—mobility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

According to the federal Fair Housing Act, landlords must provide “accessible common use areas” to people with disabilities, and this includes elevators.

From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026

Once reliability testing is done, there will be another round of tests to ensure trains are integrated with fixed facilities such as elevators and stations, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

I storm past Poe, pushing through the heavy doors and up the stairs and across the bridge to the elevators.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Related Words

• escalator