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

Example Sentences

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

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

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

By the 1970s, elevator operators had largely vanished, lingering mostly in luxury hotels where their old-world charm and sense of ceremony still held appeal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The computer voice repeated, “Eighth floor,” and the elevator took him up.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Related Words

• escalator