loft

[ lawft, loft ]
See synonyms for: loftloftedlofting on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a room, storage area, or the like within a sloping roof; attic; garret.

  2. a gallery or upper level in a church, hall, etc., designed for a special purpose: a choir loft.

  1. a hayloft.

  2. an upper story of a business building, warehouse, or factory, typically consisting of open, unpartitioned floor area.

  3. such an upper story converted or adapted to any of various uses, as quarters for living, studios for artists or dancers, exhibition galleries, or theater space.

  4. Also called loft bed . a balcony or platform built over a living area and used especially for sleeping.

  5. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. an attic.

  6. Golf.

    • the slope of the face of the head of a club backward from the vertical, tending to drive the ball upward.

    • the act of lofting.

    • a lofting stroke.

  7. the resiliency of fabric or yarn, especially wool.

  8. the thickness of a fabric or of insulation used in a garment, as a down-filled jacket.

verb (used with object)
  1. to hit or throw aloft: He lofted a fly ball into center field.

  2. Golf.

    • to slant the face of (a club).

    • to hit (a golf ball) into the air or over an obstacle.

    • to clear (an obstacle) in this manner.

  1. to store in a loft.

  2. Shipbuilding. to form or describe (the lines of a hull) at full size, as in a mold loft; lay off.

  3. Archaic. to provide (a house, barn, etc.) with a loft.

verb (used without object)
  1. to hit or throw something aloft, especially a ball.

  2. to go high into the air when hit, as a ball.

Origin of loft

1
before 1000; Middle English lofte (noun), late Old English loft<Old Norse lopt upper chamber or region, the air, sky. See lift

Other words from loft

  • loftless, adjective
  • un·der·loft, noun
  • well-lofted, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use loft in a sentence

  • As a matter of fact it had been lofted high into the air and both I and the caddie had seen it with the most perfect distinctness.

    Fifty Years of Golf | Horace G. Hutchinson
  • This is particularly the case with high lofted approach shots.

    The Soul of Golf | Percy Adolphus Vaile
  • The strength of long putts can generally be more accurately regulated with a lofted putter than with a straight-faced one.

    The Soul of Golf | Percy Adolphus Vaile
  • Of the niblick it need only be said that it must be strong, heavy, and well lofted.

British Dictionary definitions for loft

loft

/ (lɒft) /


noun
  1. the space inside a roof

  2. a gallery, esp one for the choir in a church

  1. a room over a stable used to store hay

  2. an upper storey of a warehouse or factory, esp when converted into living space

  3. a raised house or coop in which pigeons are kept

  4. sport

    • (in golf) the angle from the vertical made by the club face to give elevation to a ball

    • elevation imparted to a ball

    • a lofting stroke or shot

verb(tr)
  1. sport to strike or kick (a ball) high in the air

  2. to store or place in a loft

  1. to lay out a full-scale working drawing of (the lines of a vessel's hull)

Origin of loft

1
Late Old English, from Old Norse lopt air, ceiling; compare Old Danish and Old High German loft (German Luft air)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012