dumbwaiter

noun

dumb·​wait·​er ˈdəm-ˌwā-tər 

ˌdəm-ˈwā-

1

: a portable serving table or stand

2

: a small elevator used for conveying food and dishes from one story of a building to another

Examples of dumbwaiter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The elevator division of the city Buildings Department later learned that the repairman was in the pit of the dumbwaiter shaft, working on the hoist cables, when the dumbwaiter cab plummeted on top of him. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025

The house has two garages, a casita and a second-floor patio with a dumbwaiter. —Catherine Reagor, The Arizona Republic, 6 Dec. 2024

To one side is the sleek chef’s kitchen, equipped with a dumbwaiter and top-of-the-line appliances by Wolf and Miele. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2024

Features: Fireplaces, year-round sun room, screen porches, formal dining room, butler's pantry with working dumbwaiter, phone room, billiard room, bar area, pond. Take a look around... All photos by Homecoming Photography. —Audrey Kennedy, Axios, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dumbwaiter

• coater
• creator
• curator
• debater
• deflator
• dictator
• dilator
• equator
• locator
• mutator
• piscator
• pronator

Kids Definition

dumbwaiter

noun

dumb·​wait·​er ˈdəm-ˈwāt-ər 

: a small elevator for carrying food or goods from one story to another