dumbwaiter

dumbwaiter — noun

1. a small lift inside a building that carries food, plates, or other things betwee

1.nounC1
Definition

a small lift inside a building that carries food, plates, or other things between floors.

Example

The waiter loaded soup into the dumbwaiter and sent it up to the third floor.

send something up in the dumbwaiter

After dinner, Yuna lowered the dumbwaiter with a stack of empty plates.

lower the dumbwaiter with dishes inside

Common collocations
  • install a dumbwaiter
  • send food up in the dumbwaiter
  • lower the dumbwaiter
  • dumbwaiter shaft
Synonyms
  • service lift

    broader and slightly more formal, often used in buildings for staff use

  • food lift

    narrower term that especially stresses moving meals or dishes

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

send/lower/raise + the dumbwaiter

load + something + into + the dumbwaiter

a dumbwaiter between + floors/rooms

Usage Note

Usually refers to a fixed lift inside a house, hotel, or restaurant. Unlike sense 2, it is built into the building and moves things between levels.

Common Mistakes

We took the dumbwaiter to the lobby.
We sent the trays down in the dumbwaiter.
a dumbwaiter carries objects such as dishes or supplies, not passengers.

2. a movable stand used to bring dishes from the kitchen and set them out for guest

2.nounC2
Definition

a movable stand used to bring dishes from the kitchen and set them out for guests.

Example

During the banquet, Constanza rolled a dumbwaiter beside the table with extra plates.

roll a dumbwaiter beside the table

The butler left the roast on the dumbwaiter until the guests were ready.

leave food on the dumbwaiter

Common collocations
  • roll a dumbwaiter
  • leave dishes on the dumbwaiter
  • polished dumbwaiter
  • dumbwaiter beside the table
Synonyms
  • serving trolley

    close modern term, especially for a wheeled piece used to move dishes

  • tea trolley

    usually smaller and often associated with tea or light snacks

Grammar Patterns

roll/push + a dumbwaiter + beside/to + table

leave/set + dishes + on + the dumbwaiter

Usage Note

This older sense refers to dining-room furniture, often in historical writing. Unlike sense 1, it is a stand on wheels or legs, not a lift inside the wall.

Common Mistakes

They sent the soup up in the dumbwaiter.
They placed the soup on the dumbwaiter beside the table.
in this older sense, the word means a movable stand, not the built-in lift between floors.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all describe equipment that moves things inside a building, but they differ in size and purpose. A 'dumbwaiter' is a small lift, usually for food, dishes, linen, or documents, and it often appears in houses, hotels, or older restaurants. 'Service lift' is a broader and slightly more formal term for a lift used by staff, and it may be larger than a dumbwaiter. 'Food lift' is narrower and stresses meals moving between kitchen and dining areas. A 'freight elevator' is much bigger and is designed for carts, boxes, or heavy loads rather than trays and plates. Compare: 'The chef sent dessert up in the dumbwaiter,' 'staff used the service lift,' 'lunch arrived by food lift,' and 'the movers used the freight elevator.'

dumbwaiter ↗service liftfood liftfreight elevator

Etymology

English

The word joins English 'dumb', in its older sense 'unable to speak', with 'waiter'. Early users treated the object like a silent servant that brought food or dishes without a person standing by the table. The same image later came to name the small service lift built into houses, hotels, and restaurants.