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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The accomplishments of the fathers or uncles of those draftees loom large.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The silver lake, the tropical cove and the swinging hammock loom large in summer’s mythology because they answer our desire for enclosure and immersion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Shadows of Spielberg’s filmography loom large over “Disclosure Day”: the inclination to revisit and fictionalize childhood from “The Fabelmans,” the tests of empathy in “A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” and, of course, all the aliens.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
The visit comes weeks after Xi received US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing - two countries that loom large over Pyongyang's foreign policy.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
We did find a broken loom and the bones of a motorbike.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
