loft

1 of 2

noun

1
: an upper room or floor : attic
2
a
: a gallery in a church or hall
b
: one of the upper floors of a warehouse or business building especially when not partitioned
living in a converted loft
c
3
a
: the backward slant of the face of a golf-club head
b
: the act of lofting
4
: the thickness of a fabric or insulating material (such as goose down)
loftlike adjective

loft

2 of 2

verb

lofted; lofting; lofts

transitive verb

1
: to place, house, or store in a loft
2
: to propel through the air or into space
lofted a long hit to center
instruments lofted by a powerful rocket
3
: to lay out a full-sized working drawing of the lines and contours of (such as a ship's hull)

intransitive verb

1
: to propel a ball high into the air
2
: to rise high

Examples of loft in a Sentence

Noun The kids' bedroom has a loft. He rents a converted loft. Verb He lofted a home run into the stands. The explosion lofted dust high into the air.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Seven years on, Joo has orchestrated lofts and brownstones on the East Coast and is undertaking her first international commission, a retail project in Paris, this summer. Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 23 Mar. 2024 The setting was a private loft in New York’s Flatiron district, where an audience of 40 gathered to watch. Jon Robin Baitz, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 The expansive loft, which could be used for a bedroom or an office, also has a sweeping view of the river. David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 The four-story Bowie House hotel features 88 studio rooms, 12 lofts and six suites, including a signature suite that spans 2,250 square feet and starts at $6,000 per night. Jenny Rudolph, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2024 In designing their Manhattan loft, a couple took cues from their wide-ranging collection. Esther Choi, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Harry Styles, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lawrence, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Meg Ryan have all reportedly owned lofts there. Ethan M Steinberg, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024 Olivia and Henry also have a playroom in the basement, as well as another play area in the loft upstairs — on every floor, the little ones have a dedicated space for their books, toys, and games. Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 8 Feb. 2024 De Kock recommends throwing a tennis ball in the dryer to restore the jacket's loft. Michelle Rostamian, Peoplemag, 12 Jan. 2024
Verb
Ole Miss run the boards to build lead With 11:27 to go in the first half with a three-point lead, Allen Flanigan lofted a corner 3, missed it short, darted forward and grabbed his own board without much of an MU challenge. Calum McAndrew, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2024 Coleman backed down Trammell and easily lofted a short shot over him given the 9-inch, 40-pound disparity. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2024 Video posted to social media showed a huge fireball and what appeared to be the roof and other debris lofted into the air during the blast. Phil Helsel, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2023 SpaceX says the rocket can loft a payload up to 150 metric tons to low-Earth orbit. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 5 Oct. 2023 This was the third launch of the Qaem rocket, which can loft up to 80 kg to low-Earth orbit. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 26 Jan. 2024 Several hundred backers filled a large auditorium at the adobe-style Mexican Heritage Plaza, as Harris fielded questions gently lofted by the actress Sophia Bush. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2024 Stafford read a blitz and quickly lofted the ball toward the left corner of the end zone. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023 Mister, also listed as a wide receiver on the roster, lined up out wide, and junior quarterback Abasi Clinton lofted up a 26-yard pass. Aidan Thomas, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loft.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English, air, sky, from Old Norse lopt; akin to Old High German luft air

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1518, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of loft was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near loft

Cite this Entry

“Loft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loft. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

loft

1 of 2 noun
1
: an upper room or floor : attic
2
a
: a gallery in a church or hall
organ loft
b
: an upper floor of a warehouse or business building when not partitioned
c
3
: the backward slant of the face of a golf-club head

loft

2 of 2 verb
1
: to place, house, or store in a loft
2
: to strike or throw a ball so that it rises high in the air
lofted a high fly to center field

More from Merriam-Webster on loft

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