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

The Wilton Rancheria banner was sent aloft in a mid-morning ceremony Monday joining the United States, California state and Elk Grove flags at Elk Grove City Hall, 8401 Laguna Palms Way. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2025

There was fighting on Earth, but friendship aloft. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 31 Oct. 2025

Sometimes, a slice of the weather patterns aloft can act to focus heavy rainfall over a region, Roth said. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025

WindBorne’s high-tech weather balloons stay aloft for weeks, a considerable improvement over the hours that today’s standard weather balloons spend in the atmosphere. —IEEE Spectrum, 20 Oct. 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