noun
elevator
EH-luh-vay-tuh
noun
1
A machine that carries people or goods up and down between floors of a building.
"We took the elevator to the top floor."
"The elevator was out of service, so we had to use the stairs."
2
A tall structure used to store and load grain.
"Trucks lined up outside the grain elevator during harvest season."
How to Use Elevator
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA machine that lifts people or goods between floors; in American English this is what British English calls a "lift."
UK vs US
American English uses "elevator"; British English usually says "lift" for the same thing.
Common pairings
take the elevator
elevator shaft
grain elevator
Word Forms
elevatored past tense, elevators plural, elevators singular
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We took the _____ to the top floor.
Etymology
From elevate plus the agent suffix -or, meaning "something that raises."