skyscraper

[skahy-skrey-per]

noun

1. a relatively tall building of many stories, especially one for office or commercial use.

2. Architecture.,  a building of exceptional height completely supported by a framework, as of girders, from which the walls are suspended, as opposed to a building supported by load-bearing walls.

skyscraper

/ ˈskaɪˌskreɪpə /

noun

1. a very tall multistorey building

Word History and Origins

Origin of skyscraper¹

First recorded in 1785–95; sky + scraper

Example Sentences

“She was as long as a seventy-three-story skyscraper on its side.”

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Lu, a 28-year-old tour guide, said most of the skyscrapers were built in his lifetime.

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A new glass-walled "jewel like" tall building is set to join the skyscraper cluster in the Square Mile, after it was approved by the City of London Corporation.

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Los Angeles County is refusing to disclose a preliminary report that could explain why officials suggested that the downtown skyscraper it recently purchased to serve as its new headquarters should receive a seismic retrofit.

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Finally, what has been billed as the world's first fully "upcycled skyscraper" makes the final list too.

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Related Words

• high-rise