chairlift

American

[chair-lift] / ˈtʃɛərˌlɪft /

Or chair lift

noun

a series of chairs suspended from an endless cable driven by motors, for conveying skiers up the side of a slope.

chairlift British

/ ˈtʃɛəˌlɪft /

noun

a series of chairs suspended from a power-driven cable for conveying people, esp skiers, up a mountain

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of chairlift

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; chair + lift

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.

The 22-year-old woman had been using a chairlift at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Otari, Nagano prefecture, when part of her backpack became caught in the lift mechanism, leaving her suspended in midair.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

Though residences lack direct frontage on Lake Tahoe—typically the area’s priciest real estate—Martis Camp provides a Tom Fazio-designed golf course and a members-only chairlift to ski terrain at Northstar California Resort.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

The resort located right off the highway expanded over time, opening its first chairlift in 1941 and then two more over 40 years.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2024

Her husband, Nick, 83, and his cousin Bob Phillips, 84, shouted over the whir of the chairlift, deciding where to go.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 20, 2024

The Palisades side of the mountain, where the avalanche occurred, is home to the KT-22, a popular chairlift that opened for the first time this season on Wednesday morning.

From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023