loft

American  

[lawft, loft] / lɔft, lɒft /

noun

1. a room, storage area, or the like within a sloping roof; attic; garret.

2. a gallery or upper level in a church, hall, etc., designed for a special purpose.

   a choir loft.

3. a hayloft.

4. an upper story of a business building, warehouse, or factory, typically consisting of open, unpartitioned floor area.

5. such an upper story converted or adapted to any of various uses, as quarters for living, studios for artists or dancers, exhibition galleries, or theater space.

6. Also called loft bed.  a balcony or platform built over a living area and used especially for sleeping.

7. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. an attic.

8. Golf.

   1. the slope of the face of the head of a club backward from the vertical, tending to drive the ball upward.

   2. the act of lofting.

   3. a lofting stroke.

9. the resiliency of fabric or yarn, especially wool.

10. the thickness of a fabric or of insulation used in a garment, as a down-filled jacket.

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verb (used with object)

lofts, present (3rd person singular) lofted, past participle, past lofting present participle

1. to hit or throw aloft.

   He lofted a fly ball into center field.

2. Golf.

   1. to slant the face of (a club).

   2. to hit (a golf ball) into the air or over an obstacle.

   3. to clear (an obstacle) in this manner.

3. to store in a loft.

4. Shipbuilding. to form or describe (the lines of a hull) at full size, as in a mold loft; lay off.

5. Archaic. to provide (a house, barn, etc.) with a loft.

verb (used without object)

lofts, present (3rd person singular) lofted, past participle, past lofting present participle

1. to hit or throw something aloft, especially a ball.

2. to go high into the air when hit, as a ball.

loft British  

/ lɒft /

noun

1. the space inside a roof

2. a gallery, esp one for the choir in a church

3. a room over a stable used to store hay

4. an upper storey of a warehouse or factory, esp when converted into living space

5. a raised house or coop in which pigeons are kept

6. sport

   1. (in golf) the angle from the vertical made by the club face to give elevation to a ball

   2. elevation imparted to a ball

   3. a lofting stroke or shot

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verb

1. sport to strike or kick (a ball) high in the air

2. to store or place in a loft

3. to lay out a full-scale working drawing of (the lines of a vessel's hull)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• well-lofted
  adjective
• underloft
  noun
• loftless
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has lofted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have lofted
  perfect
• lofting
  participle
• lofts
  singular 3rd person
• has been lofting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• are lofting
  progressive
• is lofting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am lofting
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been lofting
  perfect progressive

Past

• had lofted
  perfect
• was lofting
  progressive singular
• lofted
  simple
• lofted
  participle
• had been lofting
  perfect progressive
• were lofting
  progressive plural

Future

• will loft
  simple
• will have lofted
  perfect
• will have been lofting
  perfect progressive
• will be lofting
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of loft

before 1000; Middle English lofte (noun), late Old English loft < Old Norse lopt upper chamber or region, the air, sky. See lift

Explanation

When you loft something, you throw it high into the air, the way a baseball player might loft a ball from the outfield all the way to first base. Any way you propel an object — whether you throw, kick, or slingshot it — if it launches up and across a distance, you loft it. Another kind of loft is the large, open space above a warehouse or shop in which people live or work. Artists are particularly well known for having apartments or studios in lofts. This is closest to the word's original meaning, "an upper chamber," from the Old English loft, which means "the sky."

Example Sentences

Motion Picture Group, are posing for a photo in the Scenic Loft on the studio’s historic lot.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

BBC News NI understands 36 people were arrested at the Loft Lines complex in the Titanic Quarter in Belfast.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2025

Loft, Morgan “Bula” Montgomery, Kaulana Tihada and Kuola Watson were called to the principal’s office last month.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 6, 2024

When I couldn’t fit shows into my schedule, I settled for dress rehearsals, including “No Furniture: Suite for a Loft Apartment,” by Lavinia Eloise Bruce.

From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2023

As I reached the door, I was met—not by Loft nor by any of the men—but by the trembling figure of a woman.

From The Great Miss Driver by Hope, Anthony

Related Words

• apartment
• studio