elbow
Americannoun
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elbows
plural
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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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elbows,
present (3rd person singular)
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elbowed,
past participle, past
-
elbowing
present participle
-
to push with or as if with the elbow; jostle.
-
to make (one's way) by so pushing.
verb (used without object)
-
elbows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
elbowed,
past participle, past
-
elbowing
present participle
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
-
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
-
(tr) to knock or shove with or as if with the elbow
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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elbowsimple
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elbowssimple
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have elbowedperfect
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has elbowedperfect
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am elbowingprogressive
-
are elbowingprogressive
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is elbowingprogressive
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have been elbowingperfect progressive
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has been elbowingperfect progressive
Past
-
elbowedsimple
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had elbowedperfect
-
was elbowingprogressive
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were elbowingprogressive
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had been elbowingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
Before the Ashes, Wood had gone 16 months without playing a Test, first because of an elbow injury, followed by the knee problem.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Tommy John, who ruptured a ligament in his left elbow in 1974, agreed to a radical surgery that revived his career and changed baseball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
So, on Sept. 25, 1974, Jobe took a tendon from John’s right arm, threaded it through holes he had drilled in John’s left elbow and hoped it all would work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
A 2021 study from the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine, however, showed that decreases in fastball velocity are an extremely common precursor of elbow problems that result in Tommy John surgery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“We’re on our way to the Black Forest,” May said, before Jack could elbow her to keep quiet.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
While he was running to be elected prime minister, Carney vowed to solve it with an "elbows up" approach - referencing a combative style of hockey coined by the late Gordie Howe himself.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
"I told myself, I'm going to sleep," Canonico recalled, up to her elbows in bandages following the ordeal.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Yet at that moment—in sequestered design studios scattered around California—engineering boffins were up to their elbows in the next generation of EV pickups, and still are.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Imagine combat choreographed by ants, swarms of elbows and legs scrabbling to emerge victorious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
I leaned forward, elbows on the table and chin resting on my hands.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Local EV rivals have almost entirely elbowed out foreign brands with a faster, more tech-focused approach to building cars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
On opening night in Seattle, Golden State forward Cecilia Zandalasini suffered her first concussion when elbowed by the Storm’s Zia Cooke.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Turner, who died Wednesday at age 87, elbowed his way to the forefront of modern television by prioritizing profit over deeper questions about whether certain cultural totems should be held sacrosanct.
From Salon ● May 8, 2026
Opposition politicians elbowed their way to bars to be photographed hoisting pints.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
He elbowed the drawers closed and turned around with a stack of pamphlets in his hands.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
Under Fifa's disciplinary code, Ronaldo should have received a three-match ban for elbowing Dara O'Shea during Portugal's 2-0 qualifying defeat by the Republic of Ireland in November.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
The immigrants from India and China who populate our institutions of higher learning aren’t elbowing Americans out of the labor force or depressing wages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025
What’s Next: Polymarket and rival Kalshi are seen elbowing in on sports betting market operators DraftKings and Flutter, which owns FanDuel.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2025
With that Pelosi turned and was immediately swallowed by a throng of well-wishers, smiling and elbowing for a selfie with the still-formidable ex-speaker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2024
“Gut aussehend,” one of the others translates, elbowing him again, and the officer’s face lights up.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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.
