escalator

[es-kuh-ley-ter]

See more synonyms for escalator on Thesaurus.com

noun

Also called moving staircase, moving stairway. a continuously moving stairway on an endless loop for carrying passengers up or down.
a means of rising or descending, increasing or decreasing, etc., especially by stages: the social escalator.
escalator clause.

adjective

of, relating to, or included in an escalator clause: The union demands escalator protection of wages.

Origin of escalator

1895–1900, Americanism; formerly a trademark; perhaps escal(ade) + (elev)ator

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for escalator

Contemporary Examples

So I quickly made way down the escalator to the baggage claim and into the car pickup area.
LAX: Chaotic Scene Greets Arriving Passengers After Shooting Attack
Marlow Stern
November 1, 2013
My escort tucked all eight copies under his arm, and we headed back to the escalator.
How I Write: Erik Larson Revisits ‘Isaac’s Storm’
Noah Charney
October 31, 2012
So, we rode up an escalator—a very long escalator—and found the book.
How I Write: Erik Larson Revisits ‘Isaac’s Storm’
Noah Charney
October 31, 2012
Jacobs sent his models, with their beehive hairdos, down the escalator in pairs who were dressed in complimentary styles.
Louis Vuitton, Chanel, McQueen Cap Paris Spring 2013 Fashion Week Shows
Robin Givhan
October 3, 2012
To get to this J.C. Penney, you have to take an escalator down, not up, like you were getting on the subway.
How Chic Is J.C. Penney?
Renata Espinosa
August 19, 2009

Historical Examples

When the shooting started, he went charging up the escalator.
Space Viking
Henry Beam Piper
He cut to the right, running toward the escalator to the second floor.
Monkey On His Back
Charles V. De Vet
With no break in pace he veered into an opening beside the escalator.
Monkey On His Back
Charles V. De Vet
He was studying them so intently that he forgot his escalator was landing.
The Creature from Cleveland Depths
Fritz Reuter Leiber
He pulled Maida toward the head of an escalator a dozen feet away.
Tarrano the Conqueror
Raymond King Cummings

British Dictionary definitions for escalator

escalator

noun

a moving staircase consisting of stair treads fixed to a conveyor belt, for transporting passengers between levels, esp between the floors of a building
short for escalator clause

Word Origin

C20: originally a trademark

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for escalator

n.

1900, American English, trade name of an Otis Elevator Co. moving staircase, coined from escalade + -ator in elevator. Figurative use is from 1927.

escalator

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}escalator

Examples from the Web for escalator

Contemporary Examples

So I quickly made way down the escalator to the baggage claim and into the car pickup area.

My escort tucked all eight copies under his arm, and we headed back to the escalator.

So, we rode up an escalator—a very long escalator—and found the book.

Jacobs sent his models, with their beehive hairdos, down the escalator in pairs who were dressed in complimentary styles.

To get to this J.C. Penney, you have to take an escalator down, not up, like you were getting on the subway.

Historical Examples

When the shooting started, he went charging up the escalator.

He cut to the right, running toward the escalator to the second floor.

With no break in pace he veered into an opening beside the escalator.

He was studying them so intently that he forgot his escalator was landing.

He pulled Maida toward the head of an escalator a dozen feet away.

escalator

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for escalator

n.

Origin of escalator