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:
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
The sanctions allow a grace period of six months, which officials said could give time to craft a deal that would address U.S. concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
With this information, scammers may be able to craft potent phishing attack emails or phone calls.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
She’s proud of the score’s “stretchiness” and the evolution of her craft.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
I had to tackle a whole couch cover and still wanted to work on my craft room.
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
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
The company crafts books the same way Johannes Gutenberg did around 600 years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
“I see you did some arts and crafts, too.”
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
Ishan Kishan was India's mainstay with a crafted 80 not out, including five sixes.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
“Formerly home to music icon Tom Petty and superstar Selena Gomez, this spectacular estate offers distinctive architecture crafted with exceptional attention to detail and the finest quality,” the listing added.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
The company is testing hand-breaded chicken in the U.S. and has rolled out a new line of crafted sodas and energy drinks infused with Red Bull this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
“First of all, that particular bill was so poorly crafted that the Fraternal Order of Police and the Arizona Association of Police opposed it,” he added.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
The façade was old and exceedingly well crafted, and those who had erected it had long since died and had taken with them the memory of their achievement.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
I have to imagine there was drama in the crafting community before the internet.
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
The act of forgiveness, Neiden tells me, was on his mind when crafting the show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
I never in a million years thought I’d have my very own crafting room.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
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.
