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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

Rob Jamieson, who runs a fishing trip business on the loch, said he noticed the smell of diesel from the water on Thursday afternoon.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

A family has paid tribute to a "bold and adventurous" 15-year-old boy killed in a paddleboarding incident on a Fife loch.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2025

Extensive searches are continuing for a 15-year-old boy reported missing while paddleboarding at a Fife loch.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 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.