el

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈel 

: the letter l

el

2 of 3

noun (2)

variants often El

: an urban railway that operates chiefly on an elevated structure

also : a train belonging to such a railway

The big stores. State Street. The el took you downtown in no time.

—Edna Ferber

el

3 of 3

abbreviation

elevation

Examples of el in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Ali also joined fellow students and children to reenact an Egyptian baby shower (El-Sabeu), which is meant to celebrate and protect the baby and takes place seven days after birth. —Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026

There were moments that worked for me in spite of my overall exhaustion with this show in general and this season in particular (among them: El asking Hopper to believe in her; El’s teary goodbye with Mike; Mike watching Holly and her friends take over the basement that was once his territory). —Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Jan. 2026

Details: El Fogón Taqueria, 1327 E. Chandler Blvd., # 108, Phoenix. —Eddie Fontanez, AZCentral.com, 3 Apr. 2025

Nest the Mediapro Studio Award José Luis Jiménez Gómez — El reinado de Antoine (The Reign of Antoine) Culinary Zinema Award Paco Plaza — Mugaritz. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1906, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing el

• el cheapo
• ras el hanout

Rhymes for el

• bel
• belle
• cel
• cell
• dell
• dwell
• ell
• fel
• fell
• gel
• gell
• jell

Kids Definition

el

noun

ˈel

often capitalized

: a railroad operating chiefly on elevated tracks