Word
elvis
Phoneticselvis
/ˈɛɫvɪs/
Definitions
01the singer
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Music
n. Elvis Presley, a very famous American rock and roll singer from the 1950s to the 1970s.
n. Elvis Presley (1935–1977), the American singer and actor widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century.
“My grandmother still has all her old Elvis records in the attic.”
“The cultural impact of Elvis on the development of rock and roll remains a central topic in modern musicology.”
Synonyms
02an impersonator
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a performer who dresses like Elvis Presley and sings his songs.
n. A professional or amateur performer who mimics the appearance, voice, and stage presence of Elvis Presley.
“We saw a great Elvis at the talent show last night.”
“The annual festival in Parkes attracts hundreds of Elvises from across the globe, each competing for the title of best tribute artist.”
Synonyms
03programming operator
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Computing Technical
n. a shortcut in computer code that gives a default value if something is missing.
n. A binary operator (written as ?:) that returns its first operand if it is non-null, and its second operand otherwise.
“You can use the Elvis operator to keep your code short and clean.”
“The developer refactored the conditional logic using an Elvis operator to handle potential null pointer exceptions more elegantly.”
Usage
The term is derived from the operator's appearance (?:), which resembles Elvis Presley's hair quiff when viewed sideways.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“One rock’n’roll themed ice lolly bears a wonky image of Elvis and features an Elton John trivia game on the wrapper.” Etymology
From the anglicisation of the Irish name of Saint Ailbe (Saint Elvis), also known as Saint Eilfyw or Eilfw. Ultimate origin is uncertain.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C2 ProficiencyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.8.5–9.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 6.0114–120
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C2 · Proficiency
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/elvis