stilt

[ stilt ]

/ stɪlt /

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See synonyms for: stilt / stilted / stilting / stilts on Thesaurus.com

noun

one of two poles, each with a support for the foot at some distance above the bottom end, enabling the wearer to walk with their feet above the ground.

one of several posts supporting a structure built above the surface of land or water.

Ceramics. a three-armed support for an object being fired.

any of several wading birds with very long pink legs and a long, slender bill, including the black-and-white Cladorhynchus leucocephalus and Himantopus himantopus.

British Dialect.

a plow handle.
a crutch.

verb (used with object)

to raise on or as if on stilts.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stilt

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English stilte; cognate with Low German stilte “pole,” German Stelze

OTHER WORDS FROM stilt

stiltlike, adjective

Words nearby stilt

still trailer, still water, Still waters run deep, still wine, stilly, stilt, stilt bug, stilted, Stilton, stilt root, Stilwell

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stilt in a sentence

Dorris in turn threatened to raise it on stilts and move the flags to 100-foot flagpoles—a plan that turned out to be unnecessary because the state refused to add vegetation.
The Hideous People Behind a ‘Heinously Ugly’ Confederate Statue|Mark Potok|December 19, 2021|The Daily Beast
The cheery blue puffs suspended atop ladderlike stilts suggested heaven was attainable.
The Hudson Valley’s outdoor art parks make for an alluring pandemic destination|Nevin Martell|April 23, 2021|Washington Post
A Y Combinator alum, Stilt was founded five years ago by Rohit Mittal and Priyank Singh.
Stilt, a financial services provider for immigrants, raises $100 million debt facility from Silicon Valley Bank|Catherine Shu|January 27, 2021|TechCrunch
With the utmost caution he came over the high sedges on his stilt-like legs to the brink of the creek and posed.
Roof and Meadow|Dallas Lore Sharp

These birds are of the plover family, and might with propriety be called the stilt plovers.
The Natural History of Selborne, Vol. 2|Gilbert White
The stilt breeds as far north as eastern Oregon, but is little seen north of southern California in the winter.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast|Harry Thom Payne
You notice that, unlike those stilt-walkers, the herons, the flamingoes have webbed feet.
The Adventures of a Grain of Dust|Hallam Hawksworth
But he said he would do his best to run out the remainder on a stilt.
Mary Tudor, Queen of France|Mary Croom Brown

British Dictionary definitions for stilt

stilt

/ (stɪlt) /

noun

either of a pair of two long poles with footrests on which a person stands and walks, as used by circus clowns

a long post or column that is used with others to support a building above ground level

any of several shore birds of the genera Himantopus and Cladorhynchus, similar to the avocets but having a straight bill

verb

(tr) to raise or place on or as if on stilts

Word Origin for stilt

C14 (in the sense: crutch, handle of a plough): related to Low German stilte pole, Norwegian stilta

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

stilt

Origin of stilt

OTHER WORDS FROM stilt

Words nearby stilt

Words related to stilt

How to use stilt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stilt

Word Origin for stilt