pedestal

[ ped-uh-stl ]

/ ˈpɛd ə stl /

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See synonyms for pedestal on Thesaurus.com

noun

an architectural support for a column, statue, vase, or the like.

a supporting structure or piece; base.

Furniture.

a support for a desk, consisting of a boxlike frame containing drawers one above the other.
a columnar support for a tabletop.

Building Trades. a bulge cast at the bottom of a concrete pile.

verb (used with object), ped·es·taled, ped·es·tal·ing or (especially British) ped·es·talled, ped·es·tal·ling.

to put on or supply with a pedestal.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about pedestal

set / put on a pedestal, to glorify; idealize: When we first became engaged each of us set the other on a pedestal.

Origin of pedestal

1555–65; alteration of Middle French piedestal<Italian piedestallo, variant of piedistallo literally, foot of stall. See ped-², de, stall¹

OTHER WORDS FROM pedestal

un·ped·es·tal, verb (used with object), un·ped·es·taled, un·ped·es·tal·ing or (especially British) un·ped·es·talled, un·ped·es·tal·ling.

Words nearby pedestal

-pede, pederast, pederasty, Pedernales, pedes, pedestal, pedestal table, pedestrian, pedestrian crossing, pedestrianism, pedestrianize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pedestal in a sentence

A great deal of the joy of watching the film is thanks to Mads Mikkelsen, whose face reminds me of a statue you might find carved into rock and resting on a museum pedestal.
I dare you to not be moved by Another Round, an existentialist film about day drinking|Alissa Wilkinson|December 18, 2020|Vox
Heeding Ditka, who would whisper, “they put you on that pedestal and then they knock you down,” is a tricky task.
As praise pours in for Washington football, Ron Rivera needs to mix confidence with caution|Les Carpenter|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
They build you up too much and put you on that pedestal, and then they knock you down.
As praise pours in for Washington football, Ron Rivera needs to mix confidence with caution|Les Carpenter|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
For 15 years, the 35-year-old worked to “put people in their best light, to put them on a pedestal.”
She fell into QAnon and went viral for destroying a Target mask display. Now she’s rebuilding her life.|Travis Andrews|November 11, 2020|Washington Post

Those notions placed women on a pedestal – but also denied them opportunities.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Helped Shape The Modern Era Of Women’s Rights – Even Before She Went On The Supreme Court|LGBTQ-Editor|September 21, 2020|No Straight News
But whereas we used to be satisfied gazing on that perfection as it stood up on a pedestal, now we want it down among us.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Almost a decade later Olmstead has stepped down from her pedestal to focus more of her time on sports and friends.
Blessed or Cursed? Child Prodigies Reveal All|Justin Jones|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her very first sculpture, a metallic chrome unicorn aptly titled “Space Oracle,” sits on a pedestal directly in front.
The Tiniest Jackson Pollock|Justin Jones|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The151-foot newborn waited in the harbor on her 171-foot pedestal, a huge French flag fluttering over her dark copper face.
128 Years Old and Still a Looker: Happy Birthday to Lady Liberty|Elizabeth Mitchell|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A delicious marble Cupid appeared to have just alighted on his pedestal at the upper end of the room.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She resented his sudden drop from his pedestal, for he looked sentimental and somewhat sheepish.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Next moment Tom Brown sent a bullet straight into his heart, and his tail made a splendid flourish as he fell off his pedestal!
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
He was sumptuously buried in Kensal Green, where a marble pedestal carries his portrait and his epitaph.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, July 27, 1895|Various
Here and there we will find a boulder perched on a pedestal of ice, which indicates a recent down-wearing of the field.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
The pedestal of this clock represented in bas-relief the birth of astronomy on the Egyptian plains.
Urania|Camille Flammarion

British Dictionary definitions for pedestal

pedestal

/ (ˈpɛdɪstəl) /

noun

a base that supports a column, statue, etc, as used in classical architecture

a position of eminence or supposed superiority (esp in the phrases place, put, or set on a pedestal)

either of a pair of sets of drawers used as supports for a writing surface
(as modifier)a pedestal desk

Word Origin for pedestal

C16: from French piédestal, from Old Italian piedestallo, from pie foot + di of + stallo a stall

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with pedestal

pedestal

see on a pedestal.

pedestal

Idioms about pedestal

Origin of pedestal

OTHER WORDS FROM pedestal

Words nearby pedestal

Words related to pedestal

How to use pedestal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pedestal

Word Origin for pedestal

Other Idioms and Phrases with pedestal