delft
noun
earthenware having an opaque white glaze with an overglaze decoration, usually in blue.
delft
1 American
[delft]
/ dɛlft /
Also
delf
noun
-
earthenware having an opaque white glaze with an overglaze decoration, usually in blue.
-
any pottery resembling this.
Delft
2
American
[delft]
/ dɛlft /
noun
Delft
British
/ dɛlft /
noun
-
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
Etymology
Origin of delft
First recorded in 1705–15; after Delft
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:
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
Steve asked, coming to the door when she was beating cream into butter in a delft bowl.
From The Pioneers by Prichard, Katharine Susannah
Ann turned back to the fireplace and filled her big delft cup to the brim with strong coffee, and, blowing upon it to cool it, she gulped it down.
From Ann Boyd by Harben, Will N. (Will Nathaniel)
As Tesla pushes to expand FSD into new markets, Simeon Calvert, professor of automated driving at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, says it will have to satisfy regulators on safety questions.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025
Each year, in pursuit of new heights of dazzle and deliciousness, I’ve assigned myself extravagant challenges—from snow-white molded springerle to edible Delft tiles, hand-painted with the itsy-bitsiest brush.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
Lillian Disney, a connoisseur of flowers, would die before the hall was finished, but its hidden rear garden is centered around the “Rose for Lilly” fountain, composed of thousands of broken blue-and-white Delft china pieces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 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
The kitchen walls were decorated with Delft tile, and the plates in the glass cabinets were also blue and white.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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.
