ski lift

American

noun

a conveyance that carries skiers up the side of a slope, consisting typically of a series of chairs suspended from an endless cable driven by motors.

ski lift British

noun

any of various devices for carrying skiers up a slope, such as a chairlift

"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

Etymology

Origin of ski lift

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An Australian woman has died after becoming trapped in a ski lift at a resort in central Japan, officials have said.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

The website published video of Osment, wearing his ski helmet backward, allegedly holding up the line for a ski lift.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2025

Images and video circulating on social media appear to show a number of people lying on the snow beneath the ski lift.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2025

He and countless others who had tuned in via social media beheld the flames with awe as they silhouetted a seemingly doomed ski lift terminal.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2024

He’s weak on his right side and carefully gripped the safety bar on the ski lift.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 20, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023