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

Kone’s planned acquisition of TK Elevator for about 20 billion euros would create the world’s biggest elevator maker by sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

There’s that elevator where one reality ends and another begins.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Cowgill recommends taking the stairs instead of the elevator and getting up every 30 minutes and moving around for a few minutes.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

He had hatched an idea with Brownies & Lemonade, which was known for hosting famous DJs in anomalous places: inside the elevator at United Talent Agency, in a USS aircraft carrier.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

I caught a glimpse of the elevator operator who’d been brave enough to risk his own life to save others, and I wondered if history would ever recognize him for the hero he was.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

“Just like ramps and elevators help everyone, neurodiversity-affirming adjustments make the world more accessible for all of us.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 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

Napoli recently served as Chairman and CEO of Schindler Group, a Swiss maker of elevators and escalators.

From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026

But it hadn’t bothered me when Annie and I were racing the elevators back at the hotel.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

Related Words

• escalator