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
Elsewhere in the teaser, Garcelle Beauvais addresses the elephant in the room and confronts Kyle about the rumors about her marital problems with Mauricio, 53.
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Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
With fatherhood as the subject of the new series, Frasier’s distance from Freddy feels like the elephant in the room.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023
But the elephant in the room is reining in hospitals, which make up the largest portion of U.S. health care spending.
—Rachel Cohrs, STAT, 26 Oct. 2023
The elephant in the room is how to pay for the project.
—Ron Wood, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2023
All this, however, could not hide the elephant in the room: the growing Palestinian fury at humiliation and marginalization that had already led to a spike in West Bank violence this year.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2023
After addressing the elephant in the room, the hosts got down to business on Monday, recapping the last five months as quickly and as humorously as possible.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
Sign up The elephant in the room at meetings like these is that, obviously, the wealthiest and most powerful countries are also the most prolific emitters.
—Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 8 Sep. 2023
Now, there’s an elephant in the room–job displacement.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2023
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Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
With fatherhood as the subject of the new series, Frasier’s distance from Freddy feels like the elephant in the room.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023
But the elephant in the room is reining in hospitals, which make up the largest portion of U.S. health care spending.
—Rachel Cohrs, STAT, 26 Oct. 2023
The elephant in the room is how to pay for the project.
—Ron Wood, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2023
All this, however, could not hide the elephant in the room: the growing Palestinian fury at humiliation and marginalization that had already led to a spike in West Bank violence this year.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2023
After addressing the elephant in the room, the hosts got down to business on Monday, recapping the last five months as quickly and as humorously as possible.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
Sign up The elephant in the room at meetings like these is that, obviously, the wealthiest and most powerful countries are also the most prolific emitters.
—Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 8 Sep. 2023
Now, there’s an elephant in the room–job displacement.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elephant in the room.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
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Dictionary Entries Near 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 6 Dec. 2023.
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