elbow
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.the joint in the middle of your arm where it bends.
n.the joint between the upper arm and the forearm.
Simple“He rested his elbows on the table while he waited for his coffee.”
In context“The athlete suffered a minor fracture to his left elbow during the final minutes of the championship match.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a sharp turn or bend in something, like a pipe or a wall.
n.an angular or jointed part of a structure, such as a short pipe fitting used to change direction.
Simple“The plumber replaced the leaking elbow under the kitchen sink.”
In context“The ventilation system required a custom-made elbow to navigate the narrow space between the ceiling joists.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to push people with your elbows to get past them in a crowd.
v.to push or jostle others using the elbows, typically to force a passage through a crowded area.
Simple“She had to elbow her way through the crowd to reach the train.”
In context“Commuters frequently elbowed past one another in their desperate rush to board the final express train of the evening.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to strike someone using your elbow.
v.to deliver a blow with the elbow, often used in the context of contact sports or physical altercations.
Simple“The player was sent off after he accidentally elbowed the defender.”
In context“The referee issued a yellow card after the striker elbowed his opponent while competing for a header in the penalty area.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
v.to force someone out of a job or a position so someone else can take it.
v.to dismiss or displace someone from a position or role, often to make room for a preferred alternative.
Simple“He felt he was being elbowed out of the project by the new manager.”
In context“Several senior partners were effectively elbowed out of the firm following the aggressive merger last spring.”
UsageOften used with 'out'.
“But she needs sharp elbows to claim that space.”
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.