escalator

American  

[es-kuh-lay-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

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Etymology

Origin of escalator

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

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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

See Examples For:

escalator escalators

A notoriously tiring stairway leading to the Trinity from the train station is also being replaced by an escalator.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

The United Nations, now with a fixed escalator, kicks off its General Assembly, with all attention on the spiraling war in the Middle East.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

We freaked out about the elevator and the escalator and the laptop; British guys in the 1750s thought the umbrella was a sign of weakness.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

It starts three- and four-year-olds on an escalator of Spider-Man content that leads them to TV shows and movies aimed at grade-schoolers, teenagers and adults.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

“An escalator trade is pretty simple,” Styx assured us.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

On Sphere’s escalators, grey-bearded lifers hugged in shredded battle jackets; tween girls in “Master of Puppets” hoodies drummed along to every fill; accents came from eastern Europe, Latin America and all the world over.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

The most important visuals to get right were the giant skylight and the escalators climbing up from the mall’s center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

She mops the comb plates of escalators, empties trash bins and sweeps the platform of the No. 7 line subway.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Even before they were approached by BBC Scotland News, many could be heard talking about the need for escalators.

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026

He ran on the white tiles up through the tunnels, ignoring the escalators, because he wanted to feel his feet-move, arms swing, lungs clench, unclench, feel his throat go raw with air.

From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

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