skyscraper
Americannoun
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a relatively tall building of many stories, especially one for office or commercial use.
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Architecture. a building of exceptional height completely supported by a framework, as of girders, from which the walls are suspended, as opposed to a building supported by load-bearing walls.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of skyscraper
Explanation
A skyscraper is a very tall building, like New York City's Empire State Building, which held the title of "World's Tallest Building" for many years. You're most likely to see a skyscraper in a large city like New York or Hong Kong. You can spot the tourists in these cities because they are often gazing up at the tops of the skyscrapers. The designation of a building as a skyscraper was originally an Americanism, but the earliest recorded use of skyscraper was for a triangular sail set topmost on a square-rigged ship, and at other times in the past the word was used to designate a very tall man and a high-flying bird, among other things.
Vocabulary lists containing skyscraper
September Words
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Towers Falling
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 30–November 5, 2021
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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.
See Examples For:
Similar billboards have been put up on a building near Taipei 101, an iconic 101-floor skyscraper in Taiwan.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
"An overpriced Dubai skyscraper" was among the many critical comments on social media, while lawmaker Gabor Grendel of the opposition Slovensko party called it "the most expensive corn in the world".
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Fourth & Central’s approved plan calls for 10 buildings, including a 30-story residential skyscraper .
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The skyscraper is a tribute to Dimon’s patriotic sensibilities, which he talks about often.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
It’s a small skyscraper, all dark glass and metal.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Early in 2024, taggers began turning Oceanwide Plaza’s skyscrapers into canvases for graffiti.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
A tsunami of that size would have towered more than 330 feet above sea level, higher than many modern skyscrapers.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026
Steel and other nearby mills once employed tens of thousands of workers to churn out much of the steel for Chicago’s skyscrapers and the nation’s railroads.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
He spoke as cheers echoed off the skyscrapers dotted around the World Trade Center, where Knicks gathered alongside National Guard troops surveilling the area.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
There were no skyscrapers in Caldwell, thousands here.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
