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:
She worked in finance for almost two decades and says her time as an investment analyst taught her to see writing as both a craft and a business.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
An AI system he has been using to help craft résumés and cover letters suggested the move.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
These people come from their kitchens, and they take their craft very seriously, and they understand the benefit and the opportunity that comes with “Top Chef.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Hill encouraged artists to remain patient and focus on their craft.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The prisoner took several days to craft a version of herself to leave behind as a decoy.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Here, “Tony” is in its element as Johnson crafts the intimidating yet irresistible camaraderie of a kitchen, and all of the misfits who work inside it.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
"Our culture is our clothing, our crafts, our dances and our language, not a practice that kills. Culture does not kill."
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
“How do we know whether a book is ‘Great?’”—and crafts her case with integrity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Lindsey Rae Thompson, who’s been looking for a job for several months, has been devoting at least an hour to each cover letter she crafts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
“The woman, she worries about the weather. I’ve seen it in her dreams. Wind is a problem. She won’t fly into clouds. I think the crafts must not be terribly stable.”
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
It's content-rich and a show that's crafted so carefully.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
In Britain, the “angry young men” movement led by John Osborne in the theater was underway, and the social pretensions and expertly crafted witticisms of Coward’s comedies had fallen out of fashion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
She crafted a letter to Congress defending her longtime friend.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
“A masterpiece property fit for royalty. … A home crafted with love and intention,” it goes on, after calling attention to the resort-style pool and koi pond.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
So after each birth, Mrs. Richardson had returned to her job, crafted the pleasant, wholesome stories her editor demanded, come home to fawn over her little ones, waited for the next baby to arrive.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Parents who have watched their children cycle through different hobbies, whether it’s crafting friendship bracelets or concocting homemade slime, will recognize the single-minded fervor that has overtaken the students of Class 203.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Its setting is much older, a version of medieval Japan where humans are crafting iron into firearms and beasts can talk, but nobody wants to listen to each other.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Good candidates, regardless of experience level, will stand out by crafting a good cover letter and coming to interviews with ideas.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
Everything she and her small team make in downtown Los Angeles is handmade and “takes time,” she said, describing the steps involved in crafting quality candles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Not book-smart, but a master when it came to crafting his public image.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
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.
