skyscraper — a very tall building, especially in a large city, usually with many floors
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a very tall building, especially in a large city, usually with many floors
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈskaɪˌskreɪpər/
Example Sentences
- My phone almost fell from the 80th floor of a skyscraper - luckily it landed in my friend's coffee cup!
- Skyscrapers use elevators because climbing 100 flights of stairs would kill anyone's motivation.
- The engineer designed the skyscraper to withstand strong earthquakes.
skyscraper
NOUN[/ˈskaɪˌskreɪpər/]
a very tall building, especially in a large city, usually with many floors
The new skyscraper towers over every other building in the downtown skyline.
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
This term originated in late 19th-century America as a descriptive coinage for increasingly tall urban buildings. The word combines 'sky' and 'scrape' to create a vivid metaphor suggesting structures so high they appear to scratch or scrape against the heavens.
Breakdown
sky (heavens) + scrape (to scratch or abrade) + -er (agent noun, denoting one that performs an action). The compound literally describes a building that scrapes the sky.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My phone almost fell from the 80th floor of a skyscraper - luckily it landed in my friend's coffee cup!”
“Skyscrapers use elevators because climbing 100 flights of stairs would kill anyone's motivation.”
“The engineer designed the skyscraper to withstand strong earthquakes.”
“Tourists often visit the observation deck at the top of the skyscraper for a panoramic view.”
📚Related Words
Want to master 27,000+ words?
Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.