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

• above
• over
• overhead

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

Once aloft, each individual molecule of dimethyl sulfide lasts only hours or, at most, about a day before it is destroyed in reactions that are triggered by exposure to sunlight and various atmospheric compounds. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2025

Her speed keeps the plot aloft and, yes, covers some occasional thinness, in the manner of a comedy comb-over. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025

Flight 7 sent Starship aloft from SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas on Jan. 16. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2025

In this case high winds in a very strong jet stream aloft encountered very dry air from the Desert Southwest while unusual warmth in the Gulf was pulling extra moisture in, Bentley said. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 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