Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

oft

American  
[awft, oft] / ɔft, ɒft /

adverb

Literary.

  1. often.

OFT 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. 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
oft 2 British  
/ ɒft /

adverb

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

"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

Etymology

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

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.

It has been oft noted by commentators who excel at statements of the obvious that Berkshire has enough cash to buy many of the world’s most-admired companies.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

The lie, oft repeated, becomes for many, the truth.

From Salon • Sep. 11, 2023

Do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me.

From BBC • May 5, 2023

And on the verge of turning 100, the Walt Disney Co. has itself become a thing of folklore, which presents an oft unspoken challenge for modern company leaders.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2022

‘Even our Experimental Philosophers and Physicians find, that an experiment that hits ofttimes, quite misseth afterwards on other Subjects, and they know not why. A course of effects may oft come from unknown causes.’

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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.