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.
Brown, a big believer in addressing the elephant in the room, said at camp the team wasn’t expecting Drummond to come in and be Robinson. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 17 Oct. 2026 First, to address the elephant in the room — the new company’s debt load. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 There’s at least one animal in Ben Affleck’s sixth featue as director, and that’s the elephant in the room — or lumbering around the Los Angeles locations — of this passably entertaining Netflix crime thriller. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026 The elephant in the room is that Dobbins on first down, with or without lovable swing tackle Alex Palczewski in as the extra blocker, is the handoff everyone’s looking for. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 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
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Cite this Entry

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

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