craft
Americannoun
-
crafts,
plural
-
craft
plural
-
an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, especially manual skill.
the craft of a mason.
-
skill; dexterity.
The silversmith worked with great craft.
-
skill or ability used for bad purposes; cunning; deceit; guile.
- Synonyms:
- deception, deceitfulness, shrewdness, craftiness
-
the members of a trade or profession collectively; a guild.
-
a ship or other vessel.
-
a number of ships or other vessels taken as a whole.
The craft were warned of possible heavy squalls.
-
aircraft collectively.
-
a single aircraft.
adjective
verb (used with object)
-
crafts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
crafted,
past participle, past
-
crafting
present participle
noun
-
skill or ability, esp in handiwork
-
skill in deception and trickery; guile; cunning
-
an occupation or trade requiring special skill, esp manual dexterity
-
-
the members of such a trade, regarded collectively
-
( as modifier )
a craft guild
-
-
a single vessel, aircraft, or spacecraft
-
(functioning as plural) ships, boats, aircraft, or spacecraft collectively
verb
Synonym Usage
See cunning.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
craftsimple
-
craftssimple
-
have craftedperfect
-
has craftedperfect
-
am craftingprogressive
-
are craftingprogressive
-
is craftingprogressive
-
have been craftingperfect progressive
-
has been craftingperfect progressive
Past
-
craftedsimple
-
had craftedperfect
-
was craftingprogressive
-
were craftingprogressive
-
had been craftingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of craft
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cræft “strength, skill”; cognate with German Kraft, Dutch kracht, Old Norse kraptr
Explanation
If someone practices a craft, it means that she knows how to make something with her hands, like wooden furniture or hand-knit socks. There are many different meanings of the word craft, but most of them involve skill, whether it's the craft of cheese making or crafting tiny dollhouse furniture or being crafty — good at fooling people. Another meaning of the noun craft is "vehicle," especially a boat or an airplane. The Old English root word, cræft, originally meant "power or physical strength."
Vocabulary lists containing craft
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Here, Moore shows reverence not only for her own craft, but for all the hopeful idealists who pine to know what it feels like to lose yourself in someone, or something, else.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
After all, one of the biggest pet peeves of modern makers is the perception of their craft as being a frivolous hobby, rather than centuries-old skills that served as a foundation of modern engineering.
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026
“Seeking ways to craft narratives without audible dialogue,” reads the show’s introductory wall text, “filmmakers used costume to convey character, drive plot, and heighten emotion.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
With this information, scammers may be able to craft potent phishing attack emails or phone calls.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
I also recorded the best craft ideas step-by-step in pencil so I could add illustrations and my own personal touches.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
There will be snacks, drinks, live music, kid crafts, a bouncy house, a handful of actors in Shakespearean garb and scads of neighbors being neighborly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
"There are lots of alcohol-free events now, like sip and paint. You can also try wellness and wellbeing clubs, like yoga and crafts, if you don't fancy the sport or music societies."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
He has also learned leatherwork and other crafts and has taken dozens of e-courses ranging from Wine 101 to Suicide Prevention and Protecting Yourself While Responding to Earthquakes.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
PCE is widely used in dry cleaning and can also be found in consumer products including arts and crafts adhesives, spot removers and stainless steel polish.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
One who travels confidently to far-off lands, selling clothes and crafts to foreigners and tourists.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
Hertzberg told MarketWatch that the policy was crafted to address both demand and supply, without using taxpayer money.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
And to create this air of discomfort, Fennell crafted a movie that darts from hopeful to despairingly bleak in the blink of an eye.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
Ishan Kishan was India's mainstay with a crafted 80 not out, including five sixes.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
It’s so beautifully crafted, with huge crowd scenes, evocative locations and a real sense of time and place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Inside was a special edition of The Gold-Bug by Edgar Allan Poe that he had crafted himself using the Gutenberg 2004 EX-PRO Printing Press and Binding Machine he kept at his house.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
For people who make their living in the online crafting space, patience can wear thin.
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026
Right now, they’re in the midst of thinking about crafting a legislative agenda, knowing affordability, including housing costs, will be a core issue in the midterm elections, she said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Danish company Pandora said the $150 million plant outside Ho Chi Minh City would create 7,000 local jobs and become the world's largest crafting facility for fine jewellery.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Mornings at Dollywood were spent wandering the now-relocated bald eagle sanctuary and crafting village, afternoons were spent riding black bears, coasters and log flumes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
If he committed to war in Vietnam, it would drain resources from the domestic programs he dreamed of crafting.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
