loft

[ lawft, loft ]

/ lɔft, lɒft /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR loft ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

a gallery or upper level in a church, hall, etc., designed for a special purpose: a choir loft.

a hayloft.

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

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.

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

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. an attic.

Golf.

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

the resiliency of fabric or yarn, especially wool.

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

verb (used with object)

to hit or throw aloft: He lofted a fly ball into center field.

Golf.

to slant the face of (a club).
to hit (a golf ball) into the air or over an obstacle.
to clear (an obstacle) in this manner.

to store in a loft.

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

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

verb (used without object)

to hit or throw something aloft, especially a ball.

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

Nearby words

loewi, otto, loewy, lofn, lofoten and vesterålen, lofoten islands, loft, loft building, lofting, lofting iron, lofting, hugh, loftsman

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

Related formsloft·less, adjectiveun·der·loft, nounwell-loft·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lofted

The strength of long putts can generally be more accurately regulated with a lofted putter than with a straight-faced one.
The Soul of Golf|Percy Adolphus Vaile
He lofted the head in his left hand, looking up at the still-open dead eyes.
Shaman|Robert Shea
As a matter of fact it had been lofted high into the air and both I and the caddie had seen it with the most perfect distinctness.
Fifty Years of Golf|Horace G. Hutchinson
He lofted to the ground with one quick heave, steadied on his swaying feet as the automatic flashed into his hand.
Slaves of Mercury|Nat Schachner

British Dictionary definitions for lofted

loft

/ (lɒft) /

noun

the space inside a roof

a gallery, esp one for the choir in a church

a room over a stable used to store hay

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

a raised house or coop in which pigeons are kept

sport

(in golf) the angle from the vertical made by the club face to give elevation to a ball
elevation imparted to a ball
a lofting stroke or shot

verb (tr)

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

to store or place in a loft

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

Word Origin for loft

Late Old English, from Old Norse lopt air, ceiling; compare Old Danish and Old High German loft (German Luft air)

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

Word Origin and History for lofted (1 of 2)

loft

"an upper chamber," c.1300, from late Old English loft "the sky; the sphere of the air," from Old Norse lopt "air, sky," originally "upper story, loft, attic" (Scandinavian -pt- pronounced like -ft-), from Proto-Germanic *luftuz "air, sky" (cf. Old English lyft, Dutch lucht, Old High German luft, German Luft, Gothic luftus "air").

Sense development is from "loft, ceiling" to "sky, air." Buck suggests ultimate connection with Old High German louft "bark," louba "roof, attic," etc., with development from "bark" to "roof made of bark" to "ceiling," though this did not directly inform the meaning "air, sky." But Watkins says this is "probably a separate Germanic root." Meaning "gallery in a church" first attested c.1500.

Word Origin and History for lofted (1 of 2)

loft

"to hit a ball high in the air," 1856, originally in golf, from loft (n.). Related: Lofted; lofting. An earlier sense was "to put a loft on" (a building), 1560s; also "to store (goods) in a loft" (1510s).

loft

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of loft

Examples from the Web for lofted

British Dictionary definitions for lofted

loft

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for loft

Word Origin and History for lofted (1 of 2)

loft

Word Origin and History for lofted (1 of 2)

loft