2 VERB If you elevate something to a higher status, you consider it to be better or more important than it really is. □ [V n + to ] Don't elevate your superiors to superstar status.
3 VERB To elevate something means to increase it in amount or intensity. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Emotional stress can elevate blood pressure. □ [V -ed] …overweight individuals who have elevated cholesterol levels.
4 VERB If you elevate something, you raise it above a horizontal level. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Jack elevated the gun at the sky.
el|evat|ed /e l I ve I t I d/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A person, job, or role that is elevated is very important or of very high rank. □ His career has blossomed and that has given him a certain elevated status.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If thoughts or ideas are elevated , they are on a high moral or intellectual level. □ …the magazine's elevated British tone.
3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If land or buildings are elevated , they are raised up higher than the surrounding area. □ An elevated platform on the stage collapsed during rehearsals.
el|eva|tion /e l I ve I ʃ ə n/ (elevations )
1 N‑COUNT In architecture, an elevation is the front, back, or side of a building, or a drawing of one of these. [TECHNICAL ] □ …the addition of two-storey wings on the north and south elevations.
2 N‑COUNT The elevation of a place is its height above sea level. □ [+ of ] We're probably at an elevation of about 13,000 feet above sea level.
3 N‑COUNT An elevation is a piece of ground that is higher than the area around it.
4 → see also elevate
el|eva|tor /e l I ve I tə r / (elevators ) N‑COUNT An elevator is a device that carries people up and down inside buildings. [AM ] in BRIT, use lift
elev|en ◆◆◆ / I le v ə n/ (elevens ) NUM Eleven is the number 11. □ …the Princess and her eleven friends.
ele ven-plu s also eleven plus N‑SING The eleven-plus is an exam which was taken by children in Britain at about the age of eleven, in order to decide which secondary school they should go to. [BRIT ]
elev|en|ses / I le v ə nz I z/ N‑UNCOUNT Elevenses is a short break when you have a cup of tea or coffee, and sometimes biscuits, at around eleven o'clock in the morning. [BRIT , INFORMAL ]
elev|enth ◆◆◇ / I le v ə nθ/ (elevenths )
1 ORD The eleventh item in a series is the one that you count as number eleven. □ We were working on the eleventh floor.
2 FRACTION An eleventh is one of eleven equal parts of something.
ele v|enth hou r N‑SING If someone does something at the eleventh hour , they do it at the last possible moment. □ He postponed his trip at the eleventh hour. □ …last night's eleventh-hour agreement.
elf /e lf/ (elves ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] In fairy stories, elves are small magical beings who play tricks on people.
elf|in /e lf I n/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe someone as elfin , you think that they are attractive because they are small and have delicate features. [APPROVAL ] □ …a little boy with an elfin face.
elic|it / I l I s I t/ (elicits , eliciting , elicited )
1 VERB If you elicit a response or a reaction, you do or say something which makes other people respond or react. □ [V n] He spoke for a long time, trying to elicit some comment or response from Hanuman.
2 VERB If you elicit a piece of information, you get it by asking the right questions. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Phone calls elicited no further information.
elide / I la I d/ (elides , eliding , elided )
1 VERB If you elide something, especially a distinction, you leave it out or ignore it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] These habits of thinking elide the difference between what is common and what is normal.
2 VERB In linguistics, if you elide a word, you do not pronounce or write it fully. [TECHNICAL ] □ [V n] He complained about BBC announcers eliding their words.
eli|gible /e l I dʒ I b ə l/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ , ADJ to-inf] Someone who is eligible to do something is qualified or able to do it, for example because they are old enough. □ Almost half the population are eligible to vote in today's election. □ [+ for ] You could be eligible for a university scholarship. ● eli|gibil|ity /e l I dʒ I b I l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ for ] The rules covering eligibility for benefits changed in the 1980s.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] An eligible man or woman is not yet married and is thought by many people to be a suitable partner. □ He's the most eligible bachelor in Japan.
elimi|nate ◆◇◇ / I l I m I ne I t/ (eliminates , eliminating , eliminated )
1 VERB To eliminate something, especially something you do not want or need, means to remove it completely. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] The priority should be to eliminate child poverty. □ [V n + from ] If you think you may be allergic to a food or drink, eliminate it from your diet. ● elimi|na|tion / I l I m I ne I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the prohibition and elimination of chemical weapons.
2 V-PASSIVE When a person or team is eliminated from a competition, they are defeated and so take no further part in the competition. □ [be V -ed + from ] I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals. □ [be V -ed] If you are eliminated in the show-jumping then you are out of the complete competition.