elevator

American  

[el-uh-vey-ter] / ˈɛl əˌveɪ tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that elevates or raises.

2. a moving platform or cage for carrying passengers or freight from one level to another, as in a building.

3. any of various mechanical devices for raising objects or materials.

4. a building in which grain is stored and handled by means of mechanical elevator and conveyor devices.

5. Aeronautics. a hinged horizontal surface on an airplane or the like, used to control the longitudinal inclination and usually placed at the tail end of the fuselage.

6. elevator shoe.

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elevator British  

/ ˈɛlɪˌveɪtə /

noun

1. a person or thing that elevates

2. a mechanical hoist for raising something, esp grain or coal, often consisting of a chain of scoops linked together on a conveyor belt

3. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): lift.  a platform, compartment, or cage raised or lowered in a vertical shaft to transport persons or goods in a building

4. a large granary equipped with an elevator and, usually, facilities for cleaning and grading the grain

5. any muscle that raises a part of the body

6. a surgical instrument for lifting a part of the body

7. a control surface on the tailplane of an aircraft, for making it climb or descend

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Etymology

Origin of elevator

1640–50; < Late Latin ēlevātor, equivalent to ēlevā ( re ) ( elevate ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

Barnum to design an elevator demonstration for the 1853-54 World’s Fair in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Looking toward the future, some elevator companies are integrating their systems with autonomous robots that will bring room service to hotel guests, medications to hospital floors or documents across sprawling office towers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The elevator, one of the most defining technologies of the modern city, started with a stunt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

In the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower in Dubai, passengers cannot ride a single elevator from ground to summit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The elevator opened onto a huge room that looked more like someone’s apartment than an office.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Related Words

• escalator