escalator
escalator
Pronunciation
escalator /'ɛskəˌleɪtər/
es /ɛs/ - The /ɛ/ sound as in "bed" followed by the /s/ sound as in "snake."
ca /kə/ - The /k/ sound as in "cat" followed by the schwa /ə/ sound as in "about."
la /leɪ/ - The /l/ sound as in "lion" followed by the diphthong /eɪ/ sound as in "say."
tor /tər/ - The /t/ sound as in "top" followed by the schwa /ə/ sound and the /r/ sound as in "car" (often a vocalic /r/ in American English).
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: escalator
Plural Noun: escalators
(Note: There are no common verb, adjective, or adverb forms directly derived from "escalator" in everyday use. While one might theoretically "escalate" something, it's a different root word. "Escalator" is primarily a noun.)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A continuously moving stairway consisting of steps attached to a circulating belt, used for transporting people between different levels of a building, often found in department stores, airports, and subway stations.
Synonyms: moving staircase, travelator (though travelator usually refers to a moving walkway), people mover (broader term)
Antonyms: stairs, staircase, lift (UK English for elevator), elevator (US English)
Definition 2: (Figurative, less common but understood) A system or process that facilitates a gradual but continuous progression or increase to higher levels, often in a metaphorical sense of advancement or development.
Synonyms: progression, ascent, advancement, ladder
Antonyms: decline, regression, descent, stagnation
Examples of Use
Books: "He took the escalator up two flights, emerging into the bustling concourse of Grand Central Terminal, a symphony of hurried footsteps and echoing announcements." (From The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, August 2020)
Newspapers: "Maintenance issues at several major transit hubs have led to frequent breakdowns of escalators, causing delays and frustrating commuters." (From The New York Times, June 2024)
Online Publications: "The mall announced a new initiative to replace all aging escalators with more energy-efficient models by the end of the year." (From Retail Dive, April 2024)
Entertainment Mediums (Film): In the film Elf (2003), Buddy the Elf famously attempts to ride an escalator for the first time, leading to a comedic moment where he struggles with the moving steps.
Entertainment Platforms (Television Series): "The protagonist, a detective, chased the suspect through a crowded department store, narrowly missing them as they descended an escalator to the ground floor." (From an episode of the TV series Blue Bloods, Season 14, March 2024)
General Public Discourse: "I hate taking the stairs when there's an escalator right there; my knees aren't what they used to be." (Heard in conversation at a shopping mall, July 2025)
General Public Discourse: "They're installing a new express escalator at the train station to help ease the morning rush." (Overheard on a local news radio broadcast, May 2025)
10 Quotes Using Escalator
"An escalator can never break: it can only become stairs." (Mitch Hedberg)
"Life is like an escalator. You see, it carries you on regardless." (Sophie Kinsella, Twenties Girl, 2009)
"The problem with revenge is that it never evens the score; it ties both the injured and the injurer to an escalator of pain." (Lewis B. Smedes)
"I always observe the people who pass by when I ride an escalator." (Hideo Kojima)
"Climb the ladder to success escalator style." (The Notorious B.I.G., "Just a Memory" from Duets: The Final Chapter, 2005)
"It was like stepping on to an escalator; I could do anything." (Cynthia Kenyon, The Guardian interview, March 2013)
"Every day of my life it feels as if I'm fighting my way up an escalator that only goes down." (Colleen Hoover, Confess: A Novel, 2015)
"Beginning to reason is like stepping onto an escalator that leads upward and out of sight." (Peter Singer, The Expanding Circle: Ethics, Evolution, and Moral Progress, 2011)
"In life, redemption was walking up the down escalator: stop to congratulate yourself, and back you slid." (Amy Waldman, The Submission: A Novel, 2011)
"If I have to move up in a building, I choose the elevator over the escalator." (Demetri Martin)
Etymology
The word "escalator" has a fascinating origin that's actually quite tied to a specific invention and even a company name!
It comes from the Latin word "scala," which means "ladder" or "steps." This makes perfect sense, as an escalator is essentially a moving set of steps.
The word "escalator" itself was actually coined as a trademark by the Otis Elevator Company (now Otis Worldwide Corporation) around 1900. They created it to name their new invention: a continuously moving stairway.
So, the first known use and meaning of the word "escalator" was directly to describe and market this groundbreaking new device, a mechanical moving stairway, designed by Jesse W. Reno, which was first publicly displayed at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900. It quickly caught on as the common term for these machines, even after the trademark eventually expired and it became a generic term.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Escalator
Riding the down escalator: To be experiencing a continuous decline or setback without much effort or control.
A fast-track escalator: Referring to a rapid and easy path to advancement or success. (Original)
Stuck on the escalator to nowhere: Feeling trapped in a continuous, unmoving, or unproductive situation. (Original)
An emotional escalator: Describing a situation where emotions quickly and continuously intensify.
Step onto the success escalator: To begin a smooth and steady ascent towards achievement. (Original, adapting "climb the ladder")
The price escalator: Referring to a continuous and often unavoidable rise in costs or prices. (Using the synonym "escalation" implicitly)
A people-mover mentality: Focusing on efficiently moving large numbers of people or tasks from one point to another, akin to an escalator. (Using a synonym's effect)
Taking the stairs when there's an escalator: Choosing the harder or more traditional path despite an easier, modern alternative.
An escalator of expectations: A situation where expectations continuously rise, making them harder to meet. (Original)
Off the beaten escalator path: Deviating from the most common or straightforward route in a metaphorical sense. (Original)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of escalator from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
