elephant in the room

noun phrase

: an obvious major problem or issue that people avoid discussing or acknowledging

Examples of elephant in the room in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While Situational Awareness’s losing over $30 billion was a bit of an elephant in the room, Aschenbrenner was still a 24-year-old multi-billionaire. — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 4 Aug. 2026 Making matters worse, there’s an elephant in the room with Hellebuyck’s uncertain future. — Harman Dayal, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday sought to sidestep the elephant in the room — the 2027 mayoral election — but also delivered a quasi-stump speech while taking fresh shots at the newest entry in the race. — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026 Karl Buchholz, Broomfield Recent coverage of RTD’s budget and ridership crisis completely ignores the elephant in the room, public safety. — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 2 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elephant in the room

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of elephant in the room was in 1985

Rhymes for elephant in the room

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Browse Nearby Words

elephantine tortoise
elephant in the room
elephant iron
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Elephant in the room.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant%20in%20the%20room. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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