lough

American

[lok, lokh] / lɒk, lɒx /

noun

Irish English.

a lake.
a partially landlocked or protected bay; a narrow arm of the sea.

lough British

/ lɒx, lɒk /

noun

an Irish word for lake 1
a long narrow bay or arm of the sea in Ireland

"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

Etymology

Origin of lough

1505–15; Anglo-Irish spelling of Irish loch lake; compare Middle English low, lough ( e ), logh ( e ), Old English (Northumbrian) lūh < British Celtic *lux- (> Welsh llwch (obsolete) lake, Old Breton luh, Breton louc’h ), apparently < early Irish; see loch

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:

lough

Gerry Darby from the Lough Neagh Partnership said because six major rivers and a number of smaller rivers flow into the lough, water pollution incidents ultimately had a domino effect.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Nicole Minogue, who was at the event, said she feels the lough is undervalued.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026

Scientists have previously analysed the lough bed and found deep scarring.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

Muir acknowledged that there was a "concern about raw sewage being pumped" into the lough.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

We’d fish for eels and fry them in a pan not like Cuchulain, who would pluck them from the lough and swallow them, wriggling, because there’s great power in an eel.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023