elbow

[ el-boh ]

noun

1. the bend or joint of the human arm between upper arm and forearm.
2. the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped.
3. something bent like an elbow, as a sharp turn in a road or river, or a piece of pipe bent at an angle.
4. Architecture. crossette.
5. Also called ell, el. a plumbing pipe or pipe connection having a right-angled bend.

verb (used with object)

1. to push with or as if with the elbow; jostle.
2. to make (one's way) by so pushing.

verb (used without object)

1. to elbow one's way:

   He elbowed through the crowd.

elbow

/ ˈɛlbəʊ /

noun

1. the joint between the upper arm and the forearm, formed by the junction of the radius and ulna with the humerus
2. the corresponding joint or bone of birds or mammals
3. the part of a garment that covers the elbow
4. something resembling an elbow, such as a sharp bend in a road or river
5. at one's elbow
   within easy reach
6. out at elbow or out at elbows
   ragged or impoverished
7. up to the elbows with or up to the elbows in
   busily occupied with; deeply immersed in

verb

1. tr to reject; dismiss. Also: give the elbow
2. to make (one's way) by shoving, jostling, etc
3. tr to knock or shove with or as if with the elbow

Word History and Origins

Origin of elbow¹

before 1000; Middle English elbowe, Old English el ( n ) boga; cognate with Middle Dutch elle ( n ) bōghe, Old High German el ( l ) inbogo ( German Ellenbogen ), Old Norse ǫl ( n ) bogi; literally, “forearm-bend.” See ell ², bow ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of elbow¹

Old English elnboga; see ell ², bow ²; related to Old Norse olbogi, Old High German elinbogo

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at one's elbow, within easy reach; nearby:

   A virtue of the cottage is that the ocean is at your elbow.

2. bend / lift / crook an elbow, Informal. to drink alcoholic beverages.
3. give the elbow, shove aside, get rid of, or reject.
4. out at the elbows, Also out at elbows.
   1. poorly dressed; shabby.
   2. impoverished.
5. rub elbows with, to mingle socially with; associate with:

   a resort where royalty rubs elbows with the merely rich.

6. up to one's elbows, very busy; engrossed: Also up to the elbows.

   I am up to my elbows in answering mail.

More idioms and phrases containing elbow

• at someone's elbow
• crook one's elbow
• out at the elbows
• rub elbows with

Example Sentences

A colleague had recently been stabbed, he said, and another had their elbow broken in an arrest, which would have been "unheard of in Durham five years ago".

From BBC

This was the 28th victory of Jones' career, with his sole defeat being a disqualification against Matt Hamill in 2009 for using illegal elbows - a move which would be legal under today's rules.

From BBC

“Precise and circumspect, with an avuncular demeanor and an authoritative voice .... Summerall indulged his partner’s many appetites and asides, even when that meant being elbowed aside at the mike and in the limelight.”

From Los Angeles Times

Coming off his elbow surgery, the probable soon-to-be three-time MVP was probably going to be on a restricted workload next year anyway.

From Los Angeles Times

The sharpest elbows of the race were thrown during the primary, when California’s Democrats were forced to choose among Schiff, Porter and Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, all popular Democrats in their own right.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bulldoze
• bump
• hook
• hustle
• knock
• nudge
• shove