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

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

The pattern is allowing some smoke from the Gifford Fire in Southern California drift north but that was expected to change Monday evening with a wind shift aloft forecast, according to the weather service. —Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2025

Mostly sunny skies and building high pressure aloft will gradually raise temperatures and humidity through the next week. —Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 7 Aug. 2025

Trump was not only seen pocketing one of the medallions that all the Chelsea players received, but the president also said FIFA had gifted him the original Club World Cup trophy and that the hardware held aloft by Chelsea was a copy. —Tom Tapp, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025

Eight years later, a team funded by the Microsoft founder Paul Allen sent a manned rocket aloft and won. —Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 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