Meaning & use
skyscraper
Last updated
UK/ˈskaɪskreɪpə/
US/ˈskaɪˌskreɪpər/
Meaning
nouncountable
A very tall building with many floors, usually found in a large city.
Grammar: Countable: one skyscraper, many skyscrapers.
Patterns
- a skyscraper in a place
- a skyscraper of glass and steel
From the top of the skyscraper we could see the whole harbor.
They built a new skyscraper right in the middle of downtown.
Rows of glass skyscrapers lined the river.
Word forms
| plural | skyscrapers |
|---|
Common combinations
- glass skyscraper
- The glass skyscraper shone in the evening light.
- towering skyscraper
- A towering skyscraper blocked the sun from the street.
- office skyscraper
- The office skyscraper holds about forty companies.
- skyscraper skyline
- The skyscraper skyline is the city's best-known sight.
- build a skyscraper
- It took four years to build the skyscraper.
- skyscraper window
- A window washer hung from the skyscraper window.
Synonyms and how they differ
- high-rise
- Describes any tall building, even one that is not extremely tall, so it is less dramatic than skyscraper.
- tower
- Can be a slim structure of any use, while a skyscraper is a full building with many floors.
- tower block
- A British term for a tall apartment building, usually plain and residential, unlike a skyscraper which is often commercial.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: skyscraper or high-rise?
skyscraper vs high-rise
A high-rise is any tall multi-story building, while a skyscraper is usually much taller and more impressive.
Practice
The city is famous for its glass ___ that dominate the skyline.
Choose one answer.
Skyscrapers are very tall buildings that shape a skyline. Bungalows, cottages and sheds are low buildings and would not dominate it.
Make it your own
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