a hand-operated or power-driven apparatus for weaving fabrics, containing harnesses, lay, reed, shuttles, treadles, etc.
the art or the process of weaving.
the part of an oar between the blade and the handle.
to appear indistinctly; come into view in indistinct and enlarged form.
The mountainous island loomed on the horizon.
to rise before the vision with an appearance of great or portentous size.
Suddenly a police officer loomed in front of him.
to assume form as an impending event.
A battle looms at the convention.
to come into view indistinctly with an enlarged and often threatening aspect
(of an event) to seem ominously close
(often foll by over) (of large objects) to dominate or overhang
an apparatus, worked by hand ( hand loom ) or mechanically ( power loom ), for weaving yarn into a textile
the middle portion of an oar, which acts as a fulcrum swivelling in the rowlock
another name for diver
any of various other birds, esp the guillemot
First recorded before 900; Middle English lome, lombe, lume “tool, implement, loom,” Old English lōma, gelōma; further origin uncertain
First recorded in 1590–1600; origin uncertain; perhaps akin to East Frisian lomen, Swedish lome “move slowly”
First recorded in 1670–80; from Old Norse lōmr “loon”
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.
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He is the bestselling author of 23 books on foreign affairs and travel translated into many languages, including "The Loom of Time," "The Good American," "The Revenge of Geography," "The Coming Anarchy" and "Balkan Ghosts."
From Salon • Mar. 4, 2025
Class-B shares of the company, whose subsidiaries include GEICO, Fruit of the Loom and Brooks running shoes, initially jumped more than 3% but later fell back to a loss of 1.9%.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2024
Loom says the streaming service has deliberately not been "shouting from the rooftops" but instead taking their time to understand the market place first.
From BBC • Aug. 29, 2023
His nearly $800 billion conglomerate also includes namesake energy, car dealership and real estate brokerage businesses, several manufacturing and industrial businesses, and consumer brands such as Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom and See's Candies.
From Reuters • Aug. 7, 2023
They had expected chiffon or ribbon, not Fruit of the Loom.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
