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

Residential floor plans in 2026 are sadly lacking in laundry chutes, milk doors and dumbwaiters, but innovations in home efficiency continue to evolve. — Jenny Singer, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026

The original basement kitchen was connected to the house by a dumbwaiter, and the current owner turned that shaft into a bar. — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026

The kitchenette is serviced directly from the restaurant kitchen via a dumbwaiter, and as with all the rooms, butler service is available 16 hours a day. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026

Shirley gets one of her compadres in Mechanical, Ossie (Michael Younis), to send Juliette further into the Down Deep using their little dumbwaiter contraption. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 24 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dumbwaiter

• creator
• curator
• debater
• deflator
• dictator
• dilator
• equator
• locator
• piscator
• pronator
• relator
• rotator

Kids Definition

dumbwaiter

noun

dumb·​wait·​er ˈdəm-ˈwāt-ər 

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