elbow
the bend or joint of the human arm between upper arm and forearm.
the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped.
to push with or as if with the elbow; jostle.
to make (one's way) by so pushing.
to elbow one's way: He elbowed through the crowd.
Idioms about elbow
at one's elbow, within easy reach; nearby: A virtue of the cottage is that the ocean is at your elbow.
bend / lift / crook an elbow, Informal. to drink alcoholic beverages.
give the elbow, shove aside, get rid of, or reject.
out at the elbows, : Also out at elbows.
poorly dressed; shabby.
impoverished.
rub elbows with, to mingle socially with; associate with: a resort where royalty rubs elbows with the merely rich.
up to one's elbows, very busy; engrossed: I am up to my elbows in answering mail.: Also up to the elbows.
Origin of elbow
1Words Nearby elbow
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use elbow in a sentence
Late in the first half, Morsell fell to the court and reached toward the side of his face, where the elbow of an opposing player left a visible indentation.
Darryl Morsell’s parents attended his first 97 Maryland games. The pandemic ended the streak. | Emily Giambalvo | February 4, 2021 | Washington PostIt’s another to curl around a screen, see a big man dropping into the paint and decide to rise for an uncontested jumper from the elbow.
Jaylen Brown Is Using The Midrange Shot To Reach A Different Level | Yaron Weitzman | January 29, 2021 | FiveThirtyEightConnecticut’s star player, James Bouknight, was out with an elbow injury.
A UConn basketball fan drank hot sauce on Twitter as a goof. The stunt caught on, and is helping needy kids go to games. | Kyle Melnick | January 26, 2021 | Washington PostJunior guard Aaron Wiggins had an elbow issue earlier this season, and senior guard Darryl Morsell had surgery two weeks ago to repair a fractured bone in his face.
Maryland gets a break from Big Ten grind with Div. II Wingate filling a schedule hole | Emily Giambalvo | January 14, 2021 | Washington PostShe dribbled right against Jaelynn Penn and, in a split-second, crossed back over left toward the elbow area and buried a pull-up jumper.
Dynamic sophomores Ashley Owusu and Diamond Miller are powering an explosive Maryland offense | Kareem Copeland | January 13, 2021 | Washington Post
I shut my eyes yet felt aware of the garden at my elbow, the blooms opening as if in time-lapse, the stalks lengthening.
The document had no legal standing, but was offered to the public as a sharp elbow to some of the assertions made by Ryan.
What the state really needs is to figure out how to elbow its way into the tech economy.
The State Where the Right Won the Culture War | Michael Tomasky | October 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe changed sliders three times until he found one that didn't hurt his elbow.
We never tell him, 'Great screwball,' though, because then his elbow would hurt.
Jos lifted himself on his elbow, and fixing his shining eyes on Ramona, said in Spanish, "My mother asks if you are travellers?"
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonWe must make more—much more—elbow room before the Turks get help from Asia or Constantinople.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonHaving paused a few seconds to recover breath, he brushed his hat with his elbow, and declared himself ready.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles DickensJust try it once, and you'll see how ingenious it is—only one must be careful not to throw out the elbow in turning out the wrist.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FayLettice raised herself suddenly on her elbow and looked down at him with earnestness.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
British Dictionary definitions for elbow
/ (ˈɛlbəʊ) /
the joint between the upper arm and the forearm, formed by the junction of the radius and ulna with the humerus
the corresponding joint or bone of birds or mammals
the part of a garment that covers the elbow
something resembling an elbow, such as a sharp bend in a road or river
at one's elbow within easy reach
out at elbow or out at elbows ragged or impoverished
up to the elbows with or up to the elbows in busily occupied with; deeply immersed in
(tr) to reject; dismiss. Also: give the elbow
to make (one's way) by shoving, jostling, etc
(tr) to knock or shove with or as if with the elbow
Origin of elbow
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with elbow
In addition to the idioms beginning with elbow
- elbow grease
- elbow room
also see:
- at someone's elbow
- crook one's elbow
- out at the elbows
- rub elbows with
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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