loom

¹ American  

[loom] / lum /

noun

1. a hand-operated or power-driven apparatus for weaving fabrics, containing harnesses, lay, reed, shuttles, treadles, etc.

2. the art or the process of weaving.

3. the part of an oar between the blade and the handle.

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verb (used with object)

1. to weave (something) on a loom.

loom ² American  

[loom] / lum /

verb (used without object)

1. to appear indistinctly; come into view in indistinct and enlarged form.

   The mountainous island loomed on the horizon.

2. to rise before the vision with an appearance of great or portentous size.

   Suddenly a police officer loomed in front of him.

   Synonyms:

   tower, rear

3. to assume form as an impending event.

   A battle looms at the convention.

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noun

1. a looming appearance, as of something seen indistinctly at a distance or through a fog.

   the loom of a moraine directly in their path.

loom ³ American  

[loom] / lum /

noun

British Dialect.

1. loon.

2. a guillemot or murre.

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L.O.O.M. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Loyal Order of Moose.

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loom ¹ British  

/ luːm /

verb

1. to come into view indistinctly with an enlarged and often threatening aspect

2. (of an event) to seem ominously close

3. (often foll by over) (of large objects) to dominate or overhang

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noun

1. a rising appearance, as of something far away

loom ² British  

/ luːm /

noun

1. an apparatus, worked by hand ( hand loom ) or mechanically ( power loom ), for weaving yarn into a textile

2. the middle portion of an oar, which acts as a fulcrum swivelling in the rowlock

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loom ³ British  

/ luːm /

noun

1. another name for diver

2. any of various other birds, esp the guillemot

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Etymology

Origin of loom¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English lome, lombe, lume “tool, implement, loom,” Old English lōma, gelōma; further origin uncertain

Origin of loom²

First recorded in 1590–1600; origin uncertain; perhaps akin to East Frisian lomen, Swedish lome “move slowly”

Origin of loom³

First recorded in 1670–80; from Old Norse lōmr “loon”

Explanation

Loom has two distinct meanings. First, a loom is a tool for weaving. Second, to loom is to appear or stand over someone in a threatening way. Don’t loom over the person you’re teaching to weave! You'll just make her nervous. The word loom, as an instrument to turn yarn into fabric, comes from an Old English word for “tool.” The verb form, meaning “to lurk just out of view,” comes from Low German or Dutch. Anything that looms is coming into view slowly and isn't something you want to see. Although storm clouds and icebergs can loom, this word does not have to refer to a physical object. If a deadline looms, better get to work.

Example Sentences

Given this history, Black constitutional understandings should loom large in any account of the original public meaning of the Reconstruction Amendments.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026

Crews don’t always make it home; the 1986 Challenger space-shuttle disaster and the 2003 Columbia shuttle failure still loom large.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Oil prices wobbled on Friday ahead of talks between the U.S. and Iran due to take place over the weekend loom.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

The loom put weavers out of work, he added, but it raised living standards for everyone who came after.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

And Old Emma had heard the song of the loom.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

• brew
• come on
• dominate
• emerge
• hover
• mount
• overshadow
• portend
• soar
• stand out
• threaten