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
What to Look Out For In terms of potential catalysts to shake things up this fall, mortgage rates are the elephant in the room.
—
John Walkup, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Alex and Cole seem cordial despite there being the elephant in the room of their feelings towards Jackie.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
The elephant in the room still struggles to stop anybody between the hashmarks.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 30 Aug. 2025
Putting the 6-foot-4-inch-sized elephant in the room to the side for a moment, both sides have conundrums to resolve at opposing ends of the pitch.
—Jack Bantock, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elephant in the room
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.
John Walkup, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Alex and Cole seem cordial despite there being the elephant in the room of their feelings towards Jackie.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
The elephant in the room still struggles to stop anybody between the hashmarks.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 30 Aug. 2025
Putting the 6-foot-4-inch-sized elephant in the room to the side for a moment, both sides have conundrums to resolve at opposing ends of the pitch.
—Jack Bantock, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elephant in the room
Cite this Entry
“Elephant in the room.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant%20in%20the%20room. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share