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loch

American  
[lok, lokh] / lɒk, lɒx /

noun

Scot.

  1. a lake.

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

loch British  
/ lɒk, lɒx /

noun

  1. a Scot word for lake 1

  2. Also called: sea loch.  a long narrow bay or arm of the sea in Scotland

"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 loch

1350–1400; Middle English ( Scots ) louch, locht < Scots Gaelic loch, Old Irish loch lake, cognate with Latin lacus, Old English lagu; see lake 1, lough

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.

However it said monitoring of the loch and river would continue for some time.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

The £280,000 structure - named An Ceann Mor - was placed at a secluded spot at Inveruglas, on the west of the loch, in 2015 to offer views of the Arrochar Alps and Ben Lomond.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

The castle was built for the MacLeods of Assynt in 1597 on the north side of the loch, which lies within a vast area of hills and mountains.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025

The other 10% are done at a nearby loch.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2025

They kept going, finally reaching the loch, which had been marked on the old map in the Siren’s Cove.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

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.