elevator

American  

[el-uh-vey-ter] / ˈɛl əˌveɪ tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that elevates or raises.

2. a moving platform or cage for carrying passengers or freight from one level to another, as in a building.

3. any of various mechanical devices for raising objects or materials.

4. a building in which grain is stored and handled by means of mechanical elevator and conveyor devices.

5. Aeronautics. a hinged horizontal surface on an airplane or the like, used to control the longitudinal inclination and usually placed at the tail end of the fuselage.

6. elevator shoe.

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elevator British  

/ ˈɛlɪˌveɪtə /

noun

1. a person or thing that elevates

2. a mechanical hoist for raising something, esp grain or coal, often consisting of a chain of scoops linked together on a conveyor belt

3. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): lift.  a platform, compartment, or cage raised or lowered in a vertical shaft to transport persons or goods in a building

4. a large granary equipped with an elevator and, usually, facilities for cleaning and grading the grain

5. any muscle that raises a part of the body

6. a surgical instrument for lifting a part of the body

7. a control surface on the tailplane of an aircraft, for making it climb or descend

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Etymology

Origin of elevator

1640–50; < Late Latin ēlevātor, equivalent to ēlevā ( re ) ( elevate ) + -tor -tor

Explanation

An elevator is a machine that carries passengers to higher and lower floors in a tall building. Even though you usually take the stairs to your apartment, when you're exhausted you might decide to take the elevator instead. Most elevators run on electricity, although in the 19th century the first elevators used steam power to move heavy goods in coal mines. Today, elevators are legally required in tall buildings, so that people who aren't able to climb stairs have access to all floors. In the 1640's, elevator meant "muscles used to raise the body," from the Latin elevator, "one who raises up."

Example Sentences

An elevator door opens, and the two walk out onto a stage, greeting a packed crowd.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Among other things, elevator companies are integrating their systems with autonomous robots that will ride elevators and navigate buildings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Today, innovation in the elevator industry continues, quietly powering a global business that generates more than $80 billion a year and moves hundreds of millions of passengers through buildings every day.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Over the next 175 years, the elevator drove the rise of the skyscraper, concentrating jobs and capital in dense urban cores, and reshaping how millions of people lived and worked.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The elevator wiggled left, then right, and the doors snapped closed.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• escalator