aloft

adverb \ ə-ˈlȯft \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Examples: aloft in a Sentence

Definition of aloft

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

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Examples of aloft in a Sentence

The balloon stayed aloft for days.
the ease with which he can hold a ballerina aloft with one hand is awesome

Recent Examples of aloft from the Web

During Beyoncé and Jay-Z's On The Run II tour stop in Warsaw, Poland, the floating stage that held the couple aloft during the show's final songs appeared to malfunction.

— maeve mcdermott, USA TODAY, "Beyoncé shown stranded on floating stage in apparent concert mishap in Poland," 2 July 2018
The goal of the Aquila program was to create a drone that could stay aloft for months at a time, orbiting over a geographic area at high altitude to provide a persistent radio link.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "Facebook’s quest for fleet of solar-powered Internet drones grounded forever," 27 June 2018
The sight of the forward, of Ajax at the time and now of Barcelona, being held aloft by his teammates and ceremoniously praised by Diego Forlan after the game would be sure to boil the blood of many.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 9 Days to Go - How Luis Suarez Became Football’s Ultimate Pantomime Villain," 5 June 2018
The acrobatic figures are held aloft by an almost invisible interior framework.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "New 30 foot, $400,000 hospital sculpture rises on Canal Street," 27 Feb. 2018
Television news crews held cameras aloft as onlookers sought blessings from monks wearing red robes.

— george styllis, latimes.com, "Water pumps, drills and Buddhist prayers power desperate search for boys trapped in Thailand cave," 1 July 2018
Volcanic smog, or vog, carried aloft by the winds has hampered air quality for parts of the island and been detected as far away as the western Pacific island of Guam.

— jolyn rosa, The Christian Science Monitor, "Trump approves disaster aid for Kilauea Volcano victims," 15 June 2018
The 250-pound Flyer can hit 20 mph, between three and 10 feet above the water, and stay aloft for 20 minutes at a time.

— jack stewart, WIRED, "Larry Page's Flying Car Project Suddenly Seems Rather Real," 8 June 2018
Drones come in many forms, from tiny quad-rotor copter toys to missile-firing winged planes, or even 7-ton aircraft that can stay aloft for 34 hours at a stretch.

— jeremy straub, Smithsonian, "Would You Trust Drone Software to Pilot Your Flight?," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aloft.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of aloft

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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aloft Synonyms

aloft

preposition

Definition of aloft

: on top of : above

bright signs aloft hotels

Origin and Etymology of aloft

see ¹aloft

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

ALOFT Defined for English Language Learners

aloft

adverb

Definition of aloft for English Language Learners

: in the air

ALOFT Defined for Kids

aloft

adverb \ ə-ˈlȯft \

Definition of aloft for Students

1 : in the air or in flight

The seven great birds stayed aloft about half an hour …
—E. B. White, The Trumpet of the Swan

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

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See words that rhyme with aloft Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for aloft Spanish Central: Translation of aloft Nglish: Translation of aloft for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of aloft for Arabic speakers

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aloft

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Origin and Etymology of aloft

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