elevator
elevator — noun
1. An enclosed car or platform that rides on vertical rails inside a building, carr
An enclosed car or platform that rides on vertical rails inside a building, carrying riders or freight to upper or lower levels.
Hoa pressed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive.
The elevator opened its doors and three people stepped out.
collocation: elevator doors
The small elevator in our apartment building only holds four people at once.
The delivery worker used the service elevator in the back.
When the elevator broke down, Beatrix had to take the stairs.
- lift
British English equivalent; identical meaning
- dumbwaiter
a much smaller elevator used only for moving food or goods between floors, never passengers
- stairs
a fixed set of steps that people walk up or down instead of riding
用法筆記
In American English, 'elevator' is the standard word for this sense. British English uses 'lift' instead, though 'elevator' is widely understood there too.
常見錯誤
2. A machine with a moving belt or chain that carries heavy materials like grain, c
A machine with a moving belt or chain that carries heavy materials like grain, coal, or packaged goods upward from a lower level to a higher one.
Workers loaded the bags onto the elevator that carried them into the aircraft.
collocation: loaded [bags] onto the elevator
The conveyor elevator carried boxes from the delivery dock up to the storage room.
collocation: conveyor elevator
Grain flows through the elevator into storage silos at the port.
Defne checked the bucket elevator as it lifted corn into the drying silo.
- conveyor
a broader term for any system that moves materials continuously; not all conveyors lift vertically
- bucket elevator
a specific type of elevator that uses attached buckets to lift grain or other loose materials
用法筆記
This sense is often called a 'conveyor elevator' or 'bucket elevator' depending on the mechanism. It is a technical term used in shipping, agriculture, and heavy industry.
3. A flat, movable surface on the horizontal part of an aircraft's tail section. Wh
A flat, movable surface on the horizontal part of an aircraft's tail section. When the pilot adjusts it, the nose of the plane tilts up or down, controlling the climb or descent.
The pilot adjusted the elevator to bring the plane's nose up.
collocation: adjusted the elevator
A damaged elevator can make it hard to control the aircraft's pitch.
collocation: damaged elevator / control pitch
The mechanic inspected the elevator on the tail before the flight.
When the elevator moves up, the tail goes down and the plane climbs.
用法筆記
An aviation term. The elevator works together with ailerons and the rudder to steer the aircraft. Do not confuse it with an 'elevon', which combines the functions of an elevator and an aileron on delta-wing aircraft.
4. A tall, tower-like structure on a farm or near a railway line, designed to hold
A tall, tower-like structure on a farm or near a railway line, designed to hold large quantities of harvested grain and fitted with machinery to load, weigh, and unload it.
The grain elevator stood tall beside the railway tracks.
collocation: grain elevator + stood beside [railway tracks]
Farmers brought their wheat to the elevator at harvest time.
Liang worked at the grain elevator, measuring and storing corn.
The old grain elevator has been converted into a set of modern loft apartments.
- grain silo
a cylindrical storage container for grain; usually shorter and without the same conveyor machinery as a grain elevator
用法筆記
Grain elevators are common in agricultural regions such as the American Midwest and the Canadian prairies. Many historic grain elevators have been repurposed as apartments, museums, or art studios.