What does "elbow" mean?

1. (body part) the joint in the middle of your arm where it bends. 2. (a bend or pipe fitting) a sharp turn or bend in something, like a pipe or a wall. 3. (to push through) to push people with your elbows to get past them in a crowd. 4. (to hit someone) to strike someone using your elbow. 5. (to force someone out) to force someone out of a job or a position so someone else can take it.

elbow

n. · v.

US //ˈɛɫˌboʊ// UK //ˈɛlbəʊ// el·bow

1 body part (n.)
A2 Elementary Medicine

the joint in the middle of your arm where it bends.

the joint between the upper arm and the forearm.

Example

He rested his elbows on the table while he waited for his coffee.

Example

The athlete suffered a minor fracture to his left elbow during the final minutes of the championship match.
2 a bend or pipe fitting (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Technical

a sharp turn or bend in something, like a pipe or a wall.

an angular or jointed part of a structure, such as a short pipe fitting used to change direction.

Example

The plumber replaced the leaking elbow under the kitchen sink.

Example

The ventilation system required a custom-made elbow to navigate the narrow space between the ceiling joists.

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3 to push through (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to push people with your elbows to get past them in a crowd.

to push or jostle others using the elbows, typically to force a passage through a crowded area.

Example

She had to elbow her way through the crowd to reach the train.

Example

Commuters frequently elbowed past one another in their desperate rush to board the final express train of the evening.
- jostle
- shove
- push
4 to hit someone (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

to strike someone using your elbow.

to deliver a blow with the elbow, often used in the context of contact sports or physical altercations.

Example

The player was sent off after he accidentally elbowed the defender.

Example

The referee issued a yellow card after the striker elbowed his opponent while competing for a header in the penalty area.
- strike
- hit
5 to force someone out (v.)
C1 Advanced Informal

to force someone out of a job or a position so someone else can take it.

to dismiss or displace someone from a position or role, often to make room for a preferred alternative.

Example

He felt he was being elbowed out of the project by the new manager.

Example

Several senior partners were effectively elbowed out of the firm following the aggressive merger last spring.

Usage

Often used with 'out'.
- hire
- appoint

Origin

From Middle English elbowe (“elbow”), from Old English elboga, elnboga (“elbow”), from Proto-Germanic *alinabugô (“elbow”), equivalent to ell + bow. Cognate with Scots elbuck (“elbow”), Saterland Frisian Älbooge (“elbow”), Dutch elleboog (“elbow”), Low German Ellebage (“elbow”), German Ellbogen, Ellenbogen (“elbow”), Danish and Norwegian albue (“elbow”), Faroese albogi, Icelandic olbogi, olnbogi (“elbow”), Swedish armbåge (“elbow”).

Idioms3 entries