skyscraper

[ skahy-skrey-per ]

noun

1. a relatively tall building of many stories, especially one for office or commercial use.
2. 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.

skyscraper

/ ˈskaɪˌskreɪpə /

noun

1. a very tall multistorey building

Word History and Origins

Origin of skyscraper¹

First recorded in 1785–95; sky + scraper

Example Sentences

Officials have estimated that it will cost hundreds of millions to upgrade the buildings, making a new, presumably safer skyscraper an appealing alternative to some on the board.

From Los Angeles Times

Over the last year, the graffiti-pocked husk of the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza skyscrapers have haunted Los Angeles’ skyline, a beacon of disrepair and, for some, artistic expression.

From Los Angeles Times

Fans can look out from the stadium parking lot to a different Los Angeles, dotted with skyscrapers spreading out across the basin.

From Los Angeles Times

Buried in a bland mixed-use skyscraper in the dreary Financial District downtown, an aging, if glamorous, 1929 movie palace with rotten acoustics long served as the San Diego Symphony’s disagreeable home.

From Los Angeles Times

The tagging of skyscrapers and mansions has garnered widespread notice, in the news media and on social media.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• high-rise