skyscraper — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A very tall building with a large number of floors.

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   The fact that land is a commodity of unlimited extent in America, together with the now appreciated fact that most high buildings have been economic failures, spell the doom of the skyscraper concept.

   As the curve of Sandy Hook blotted from sight the last, low glimpse of the skyscrapers which point Manhattan, Blake touched Annette's arm.

   More examples (5)

   The solitary attic—if one could thus designate a space of about three square feet—which comprised Hamar's lodging—had the advantage of being situated in the top storey of a skyscraper—at least a skyscraper for that part of the city.

   Then he noticed, as a prosaic business man will notice suddenly, that a skyscraper which he has passed daily for months is out of line with its neighbor, that the seat behind the new little girl was unoccupied and that she stood alone in the aisle during exercises.

   The Wards are open-topped, with skyscrapers rising from the superstructure. Towers are sealed against vacuum, as the breathable atmosphere envelope is only maintained to a height of about seven meters. The atmosphere is contained by the centrifugal force of rotation and a "membrane" of dense, colorless sulphur hexafluoride gas, held in place by carefully managed mass effect fields.

   From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much.[…] But viewed from high up in one of the growing number of skyscrapers in Sri Lanka’s capital, it is clear that something extraordinary is happening: China is creating a shipping hub just 200 miles from India’s southern tip.

   Construction of the world’s tallest unoccupied skyscraper may resume as early as next week, almost 10 years after work ground to a halt, according to Chinese state media.

   Its steel helped build America, from the skyscrapers dotting city landscapes to the cars speeding down highways, to the appliances inside millions of homes.

2. A small sail atop a mast of a ship; a triangular skysail.

   Usage

   • Archaic

   Examples

   Skyscraper. A name given to a skysail when it is triangular.

3. Anything very tall or high.

   Usage

   • Figurative

   Examples

   It was no surprise to see Hanley bat a skyscraper out to left.

Noun

1. a very tall building with many stories

   Broader terms

   buildingedifice