loft

1 of 2

noun

ˈlȯft 

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

: hayloft

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

ˈlȯft-ˌlīk 

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

Synonyms

Noun

• attic
• cockloft
• garret

Verb

• cast
• catapult
• chuck
• dash
• fire
• fling
• heave
• hurl
• hurtle
• launch
• lob
• peg
• pelt
• pitch
• sling
• throw
• toss

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

In a loft at the Tybee Island Marine Science Center, floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of the shipping channel into the busy port of Savannah. —Emily Jones, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024

One of his sellers, a couple in Chelsea with a beautiful 2,200-square-foot high-floor loft that once hosted Hilary Clinton at a political fundraiser, has been thinking about selling since 2018. —Kim Velsey, Curbed, 23 Dec. 2024

Verb

That thin layer of atoms, which begins at the lunar surface and extends 100 kilometers (60 miles) into space, exists mostly because small micrometeoroids strike the surface, vaporizing atoms and lofting some into the void. —Jonathan O’Callaghan, Discover Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024

The method would involve lofting aerosol particles into the upper atmosphere to bounce a tiny bit of sunlight back into space, cooling the planet slightly. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2024

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

Phrases Containing loft

• choir loft

Kids Definition

loft

1 of 2 noun

ˈlȯft 

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

: hayloft

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