escalator

American  

[es-kuh-ley-ter] / ˈɛs kəˌleɪ tər /

noun

escalators plural

1. a continuously moving staircase on an endless loop for carrying passengers up or down.

2. a means of rising or descending, increasing or decreasing, etc., especially by stages.

   the social escalator.

3. escalator clause.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or included in an escalator clause.

   The union demands escalator protection of wages.

escalator British  

/ ˈɛskəˌleɪtə /

noun

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

2. short for escalator clause

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• escalators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of escalator

An Americanism first recorded in 1895–1900; formerly a trademark; perhaps escal(ade) + (elev)ator

Explanation

An escalator is a motorized stairway that moves people up and down flights. When you get on an escalator, you can stand still and let it carry you. If you want to really annoy the people behind you, stand to the left on the escalator and block their passage. It's common for shopping malls, airports, and other large, public buildings to provide escalators as a way for people to get from one floor to another. An escalator works by moving a large belt of linked steps with a motor — each step seems to disappear as it moves parallel with the floor at your destination. In 1900, the Otis Elevator Company coined the word escalator, from escalade, "use ladders to scale a wall."

Example Sentences

Svitlana Luhinets came better prepared and set up by a wall near the escalator.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026

When he announced his run for president in 2015, dramatically diverting the course of the American project, it was after a ride down a gold-mirrored escalator.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

Lovell is an escalator engineer from Hertfordshire and works for a company that has been responsible for installing, maintaining and upgrading the escalators at the national stadium.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

Navarro watched in dismay in 2015 when Trump came down the escalator of the midtown Manhattan skyscraper that bears his name to announce he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2026

They climbed the ribbed steel stairs of an escalator, the boy holding on to his hand.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy