elevator

UK: /ˈɛlɪveɪtə^r/ US: /ˈɛləˌveɪtɚ/ ,(el′ə vā′tər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

el•e•va•tor /ˈɛləˌveɪtɚ/   n. [countable]

1. Mechanical Engineering a moving platform or cage for carrying passengers or freight from one level to another, as in a building.
2. a building in which grain is stored and handled by means of a mechanical elevator and conveyor devices.

See -lev-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

el•e•va•tor  (el′ə vā′tər), n. 

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. Clothing See elevator shoe. 

• Late Latin ēlevātor, equivalent. to ēlevā(re) (see elevate) + -tor -tor
• 1640–50

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

elevator / 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. a large granary equipped with an elevator and, usually, facilities for cleaning and grading the grain
4. any muscle that raises a part of the body
5. a control surface on the tailplane of an aircraft, for making it climb or descend