elbow to elbow
Squeezed in together
Elbow to elbow describes people standing or sitting so close together that their elbows nearly touch—a condition of crowding or tight quarters: The bar was packed, everyone standing elbow to elbow.
The phrase emphasizes proximity without the collaborative connotation of *shoulder to shoulder*, focusing instead on cramped space or density.
- jostlePush roughly against
- huddledCrowded closely together
- side by sideAdjacent and parallel
- crowdedFilled beyond comfort
- squeezeFirm bilateral compression
shoulder · packed · wall to wall · cramped · close quarters · throngs · swarming · press · crush · bustling · touch · congested · shoulder-to-shoulder · jam · mutual support · cheek by jowl · arm in arm · bump
- crowdedcrowded, jam-packed, packed like sardines, crammed, jammed
- closenessclose by, close contact, close-knit, next door, up close
- nearnessnear, nearby, close, adjacent, next to
- proximitynear, close, nearby, nearness, proximity
physical density/spacing
elbow to elbowspread out
Extended over distance
scattered · dispersed · at arm's length · spaced out · poles apart