lough
Americannoun
-
a lake.
-
a partially landlocked or protected bay; a narrow arm of the sea.
noun
-
an Irish word for lake 1
-
a long narrow bay or arm of the sea in Ireland
Etymology
Origin of lough
1505–15; Anglo-Irish spelling of Irish loch lake; compare Middle English low, lough ( e ), logh ( e ), Old English (Northumbrian) lūh < British Celtic *lux- (> Welsh llwch (obsolete) lake, Old Breton luh, Breton louc’h ), apparently < early Irish; see loch
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The lough has been blighted by potentially toxic blue-green algal blooms since 2023, due to pollution primarily from agriculture and wastewater.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Michael Muckian, chair of the Cooley Peninsula Community Alert group, said: "The boat got into difficulty in the early afternoon and there is currently a number of boats on the lough still searching."
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
Scientists have previously analysed the lough bed and found deep scarring.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
Muir acknowledged that there was a "concern about raw sewage being pumped" into the lough.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
Hope in the fact that he could learn and survive and take care of himself. lough hope, he thought that night.
From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
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.
