What does "elbow" mean?
The joint between the upper arm and the forearm.
Elbow
/ˈɛlbəʊ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The joint between the upper arm and the forearm.
- Grammar: elbow is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: a shove, angle, angle off, ankle.
- Useful contrasts: avoid contact, extend, genu.
- Usage evidence: You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water.
How to use "elbow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "elbow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "elbow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "elbow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "elbow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "elbow" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "a shove" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "elbow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The joint between the upper arm and the forearm.
"Up to the elbowes naked were there Armes."
- 2 the joint of a mammal or bird that corresponds to the human elbow wordnet
- 3 Any turn or bend like that of the elbow, in a wall, building, coastline, etc.; an angular or jointed part of any structure, such as the raised arm of a chair or sofa, or a short pipe fitting, turning at an angle or bent. broadly
"the sides of windows, where the jamb makes an elbow with the window back"
- 4 the part of a sleeve that covers the elbow joint wordnet
- 5 A detective. US, dated
""An elbow, huh?" putting all the contempt he could in his voice; and somehow any synonym for detective seems able to hold a lot of contempt."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 a sharp bend in a road or river wordnet
- 7 Part of a basketball court located at the intersection of the free-throw line and the free-throw lane.
- 8 a length of pipe with a sharp bend in it wordnet
- 9 A hit, strike, or blow with the elbow.
"In the fair dinkum department that elbow prop Barrie McDermott threw into the face of Paul Sironen deserved to get him four months on the side-lines[.]"
- 10 hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped wordnet
- 11 Two nearby crossings of a rope.
Verb
- 1 To push with the elbow or elbows; to forge ahead using the elbows to assist. transitive
"He elbowed his way through the crowd."
- 2 shove one's elbow into another person's ribs wordnet
- 3 To strike with the elbow.
"Trumper elbowed me in the ribs and made a sign with his head. He seemed irritated now by our delay."
- 4 push one's way with the elbows wordnet
- 5 To nudge, jostle or push.
"Suddenly and with all her heart Kate longed to be home, back at the homestead, to participate in the rambunctious toss and jostle as breakup elbowed its way into the Park."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To force (someone) to quit or lose their job so that someone else can be hired. informal
"The president was elbowed out of power by members of her own party."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "elbow"?
Common synonyms include: a shove, angle, angle off, ankle, antecubital region, apex.
How do you use "elbow" in a sentence?
You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water.
How do you pronounce "elbow"?
Pronounced /ˈɛlbəʊ/.
Etymology
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”).