aloft

1 of 2

adverb

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Many jeered and whistled Israel’s national anthem, too, holding aloft more Palestinian flags and red cards. Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025 The Green Mountain Boys encircled the hostages, muskets aloft. Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025 Wall Street holds near record highs in a government-data blackout , with enough rotational energy toward left-behind groups, refreshed confidence in the AI spending frenzy, certainty of a Fed rate cut this month and speculative aggression in lower-quality longshots to keep the indexes aloft. Michael Santoli, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025 Moisture and clouds start to increase Wednesday as level pressure aloft low draws near, likely remaining overhead for several days. Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for aloft

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of aloft was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Aloft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aloft. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on aloft

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