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• loom
  loom

  noun

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

  abbreviation

  Loyal Order of Moose.

Trivia Time

Which English town operated the greatest number of power looms in the early 1900s?

Test Your Knowledge

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”

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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

See Examples For:

loom

The All Blacks, rejuvenated under new coach Dave Rennie, loom two weeks after Sunday's meeting with Australia, with a match against Japan, now led by Jones himself, in between.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Arduous tests loom during the second half of the season, however, making the chances of getting the nod from the CFP selection committee a coin flip at best.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Markets will be watching the auction results to gauge demand for U.S. government debt as interest rate increases loom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

They see AI investment changing from a tailwind for S&P 500 earnings of 11 percentage points this year to a “marginal drag” in 2028 as capital expenditure growth slows and depreciation costs loom.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Mixing up the yarn hadn’t done a thing, because the loom knew he did it.

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

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Related Words

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

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