aloft

[ uh-lawft, uh-loft ]

/ əˈlɔft, əˈlɒft /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR aloft ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

high up; far above the ground.

Nautical.

on the masts; in the rigging; overhead.
(on a square-rigged sailing ship) in the upper rigging, specifically, on or above the lower yards (opposed to alow).

in or into the air.

preposition

on or at the top of: flags flying aloft the castle.

RELATED WORDS

above, over, overhead, up

Nearby words

Origin of aloft

1150–1200; Middle English o loft; < Old Norse ā lopt in the air; see a-¹, loft

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for aloft

There was a sense of standing together on the precipice, but holding each other aloft by sheer will, conjoined by rage.
‘The Normal Heart’ and Hope in the Battlefield of AIDS|Michael Musto|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then all heads being uncovered below and aloft, the chaplain read the solemn service of the dead.
Hard Cash|Charles Reade
Aloft in the crow's-nest the lookout lowered his eyes from scouring the horizon to stare at Prester Kleig—who was pointing.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science April 1930|Various
He held them aloft in triumph, treading water while he held the other's head under the sea as a punishment for his thievery.
The Boy Aviators in Africa|Wilbur Lawton

Dromund took the sword, at once raised it aloft and struck a blow at Angle.
Grettir The Strong|Unknown
To add to their misfortune, two men were blown overboard, from aloft, and drowned.
Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle, between the years 1826 and 1836|Robert FitzRoy

British Dictionary definitions for aloft

aloft

/ (əˈlɒft) /

adverb, adjective (postpositive)

in or into a high or higher place; up above

nautical in or into the rigging of a vessel

Word Origin for aloft

C12: from Old Norse ā lopt in the air; see lift 1, loft

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

Word Origin and History for aloft

aloft

adv.

c.1200, from a Scandinavian source; cf. Old Norse a lopti "up above," literally "up in the air," from a "in, on" + lopt "sky, air, atmosphere; loft, upper room" (cf. Gothic luftus, Old High German luft, Old English lyft "air;" see loft).