aloft

1 of 2

adverb

ə-ˈlȯft 

1

: at or to a great height

measuring the winds aloft

2

: in the air

especially : in flight (as in an airplane)

meals served aloft

3

: at, on, or to the masthead or the higher rigging

went aloft to unfurl the sails

aloft

2 of 2

preposition

: on top of : above

bright signs aloft hotels

Synonyms of aloft

Adverb

• overhead
• upward
• above

Examples of aloft in a Sentence

Adverb

The balloon stayed aloft for days.

the ease with which he can hold a ballerina aloft with one hand is awesome

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

After signing a new contract, he was paraded around the Parc des Princes holding a shirt aloft with his name and 2025 on the back. —Tom Burrows, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025

Laughter, hugs between old friends and staff and keeping balloons aloft in a friendly game of balloon batting were just some of the evening activities. —Kelly Wilkinson, IndyStar, 5 Dec. 2025

Any minute now, according to predictions, computer models, wetting a finger held aloft and good old-fashioned hucksterism, Minnesota is in a part of the country that might be about to experience some of the coldest weather on Earth. —Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 29 Nov. 2025

And Transporter-6, which lifted off this past January, was also more prolific, carrying 114 satellites aloft. —Tariq Malik, Space.com, 26 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English, from Old Norse ā lopt, from ā on, in + lopt air — more at on, loft

Preposition

Middle English alofte, derivative of alofte aloft entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aloft

• hayloft
• coughed
• croft
• doffed
• loft
• oft
• scoffed
• soft
• toft
• waft

Kids Definition

aloft

adverb or adjective

ə-ˈlȯft

1

: in the air

especially : in flight

2

: at, on, or to the higher rigging of a sailing ship