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View synonyms for

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

/ ˈɛəʊ /

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of elbow1

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

Origin of elbow1

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

Gonsolin has been sidelined with a litany of injuries since August 2023, when he was shut down because of an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow that required Tommy John surgery.

From

And he set both of those high marks last year — when a late-season elbow injury still sidelined him for all of the playoffs.

From

But it still has enough magic to win over Maher — who clearly loved rubbing elbows with the president.

From

Woffinden had only recently made a comeback to the sport after he suffered a broken elbow in June which ended his 2024 season.

From

The court heard how Pearson pushed Mr Johnson against a wall, pinned him with his elbow, repeatedly struggled with him, and repeatedly punched him on the head.

From

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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ąelbow-bender