earthenware having an opaque white glaze with an overglaze decoration, usually in blue.
any pottery resembling this.
a town in the SW Netherlands, in South Holland province. Pop: 97 000 (2003 est)
Also called: delftware. tin-glazed earthenware made in Delft since the 17th century, typically having blue decoration on a white ground
a similar earthenware made in England
First recorded in 1705–15; after Delft
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The gently moving backdrops, painted deep delft blue, looked like they had sprung from a sumptuous picture book.
From New York Times ● Jul. 13, 2018
Key pieces: Call us old-fashioned, but our favorite piece was a more traditional delft blue twill suit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2014
Royal weddings were routinely marked with goblets or delft plates, but it was not until the coronation of King George II in 1727 that manufacturers were allowed to reproduce the monarch's likeness.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 20, 2011
The manufacture of delft ware was known to have greatly enriched Holland.
From Self help; with illustrations of conduct and perseverance by Smiles, Samuel
A few pieces of delft and white crockery glimmered on a shelf near the open fireplace, and below them, on another shelf, were stone jars and two or three pots and pans.
From The Pioneers by Prichard, Katharine Susannah
After 1657 he painted largely on behalf of Pieter van Ruijven and Maria de Knuijt, a wealthy Delft couple.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
And in the 12 months since they have been operating the Marine Application Centre in Delft, they have already built a prototype 12m fast boat, similar to a RIB, for the Dutch Navy.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2025
In addition to the Arts and Crafts movement, tile artists began producing a wide variety of works inspired by traditional Mexican and Indigenous designs, as well as European styles like Delft.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2025
Jovana Jovanova at Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands is working on a different robot arm system that could gather metals from the seafloor.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2025
I plan to decline her coffee offer, but she's laid out two cups and her good china, blue and white, the famous style from the city of Delft.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
