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)
-
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
-
ragged or impoverished
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busily occupied with; deeply immersed in
verb
-
(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
-
am elbowingprogressive
-
are elbowingprogressive
-
is elbowingprogressive
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have been elbowingperfect progressive
-
has been elbowingperfect progressive
Past
-
elbowedsimple
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had elbowedperfect
-
was elbowingprogressive
-
were elbowingprogressive
-
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:
Díaz’s season went awry, limited to 18⅔ innings after elbow surgery and then a neck injury.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
On Sunday, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels dislocated his left elbow in a loss to the Cowboys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Casadaban says similar approaches are being explored for problems including frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, and plantar fasciitis.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Jayden Daniels was the second pick of that 2024 draft behind Williams and he left Washington's defeat at Dallas with a serious injury to the same elbow he dislocated last season.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Rolled-up sleeves and charcoal smudges on his nose and elbow, hair wild and raked through.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
The unnatural act of throwing a baseball still tears tendons and wrenches elbows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Robertson noted that while Gordie Howe played with his "elbows up", he would also say that "the objective is to get the puck in the net".
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
Once we got off the main roads, Benitez often drove, scouted and interpreted at once, sometimes steering with his elbows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
I gave her a hug, then went to look at the booths while there was still space to have elbows.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
On several occasions, I felt like my brain had been elbowed awake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
VW is also being elbowed out of China, with years of declining sales amid stiff local competition last year leaving the firm's vehicle deliveries in the country at their lowest level since 2011.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
They waited impatiently in line and elbowed one another to snag a spot in the room where the American president was slated to make his speech.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
Penelope Spheeris’ cult favorite, filmed during not quite the first flush of Los Angeles punk — the scene was already changing, as the pogoers were elbowed out by the moshers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2024
He elbowed and shoved and broke through and fired and started all over again, pushing his way ever closer to the house.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
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
I don’t even know this girl and she’s elbowing her way through my life like everything is hers for the taking.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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.
