oft

[ awft, oft ]

/ ɔft, ɒft /

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See synonyms for oft on Thesaurus.com

adverb Literary.

often.

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IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

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Origin of oft

before 900; Middle English oft(e), Old English oft; cognate with Old Frisian ofta,Old Saxon oft(o), German oft,Old Norse opt

Words nearby oft

OFr., OFris, OFS, of sorts, Ofsted, oft, Oftel, often, often as not, oftentimes, of the devil

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use oft in a sentence

The executive order he issued was a down payment on his oft-stated goal of making health care affordable and accessible to more Americans.
More than 200,000 Americans sign up for ACA health plans during special enrollment period|Amy Goldstein|March 3, 2021|Washington Post
The sharp landscape of the Purcells is shot through with avalanche paths where this oft-formidable snowpack frequently releases itself and thunders down the mountain, destroying everything in its path.
How One Man Survived a Plane Crash and 5 Days in the Snowy Canadian Wilderness—and Went On to Help Shape the Modern Ski Industry|Cassidy Randall|December 27, 2020|Time
It’s an oft-cited statistic that 96 percent of American schoolchildren can identify Ronald McDonald.
The McDonald’s Commercials That Live in Our Minds, Rent Free|MM Carrigan|December 18, 2020|Eater
An oft-cited example of the trend is Shopify, the Canadian company that helps shops create online stores that have gone bonkers amid the pandemic.
MessageBird becomes a unicorn thrice over|Lucinda Shen|October 8, 2020|Fortune

San Diego’s oft-delayed Pure Water project – a bid to create a third of the city’s water from recycled sewage – scored a victory in court Friday that could get the $5 billion project back on track.
Politics Report: City’s Big Recycled Water Project Wins in Court|Andrew Keatts|July 25, 2020|Voice of San Diego
If the oft-talked-about college “hook-up culture” could be embodied by a place, it would be Shooters.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating|Ellie Schaack|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The evolution of style is oft studied but rarely understood in any comprehensive manner.
100 Years of Beauty Styles in 1 Minute|Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
First, the amazing and oft-commented upon speed at which public opinion has flipped.
Who Are the Judicial Activists Now?|Michael Tomasky|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The conforms of systemic racism have caused a precious grasping of your blackness that oft times seeks to destroy us.
‘black-ish’ Keeps It Real about the Invisible Black Man|Judnick Mayard|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Despite the oft-repeated phrase “all publicity is good publicity,” most people with common sense know this is not true.
Anti-Gun Ad Featuring Dildos Is a Huge Misfire|Keli Goff|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Swiss soon found out that in Hephzibah he was dealing with a truthful girl; for the tale, though oft repeated, never varied.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Full oft, indeed,They gold and silver will despise, bills ofExchange preferring.
The Poems of Giacomo Leopardi|Giacomo Leopardi
Many a time and oft had she pleaded, with tears, to the remorseless girl who looked so soft and yielding.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3)|Charles James Wills
"Surely there can be no harm or danger," thought Bessie; but she remembered the oft-repeated warnings of her parents and aunt.
The value of a praying mother|Isabel C. Byrum
As Bill looked over his oft-appraised stock, it seemed to have lost much of its one-time charm.
Mystery Ranch|Arthur Chapman

British Dictionary definitions for oft (1 of 2)

oft

/ (ɒft) /

adverb

short for often (archaic or poetic except in combinations such as oft-repeated and oft-recurring)

Word Origin for oft

Old English oft; related to Old High German ofto

British Dictionary definitions for oft (2 of 2)

OFT

abbreviation for (in Britain)

Office of Fair Trading

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012