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
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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
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am elbowingprogressive
-
are elbowingprogressive
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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:
John had ruptured the medial ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, although he didn’t know that then.
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
Dodgers reliever Will Klein hopes to avoid surgery to remove the loose bodies in his right elbow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
On Monday, Rushing started swinging, which he said didn’t bother his elbow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Trey let go of my hand, offering me his elbow instead.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The main symptom is a crusted, flaky rash that often affects the elbows, knees, hands and feet.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 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
But many of its characters are exaggerated in a way that can pass for comical, until the horror just elbows them out of the way in its very effective, storm-tossed final acts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
Eyes closed, she bent her arms until her elbows touched bottom.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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
Even so, as data centers elbowed into residential areas, complaints about noise and more pushed officials to tighten oversight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 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
Swiss families priced out of Geneva and forced to live just across the border in France are reeling from another blow: their children are now being elbowed out of Genevan schools.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2025
Smith elbowed his way up, and someone asked him for a statement.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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
If these brilliant entities begin elbowing aside plodding humans, where does that leave us?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
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
This Sunday, I’ll be rooting for these contenders — and elbowing my watch party to catch up with one of these overlooked never-rans as soon as the teleprompters chase the last winners offstage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2025
Then I notice the girl next to her elbowing her in the side.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
