1
Scotland : lake
2
Scotland : a bay or arm of the sea especially when nearly landlocked

Examples of loch in a Sentence

in his biography of Samuel Johnson, James Boswell tells of being conducted by a Scottish boatman “across one of the lochs, as they call them, or arms of the sea”
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.
Likewise, while the castle at Balmoral has been valued at $80 million, the Times includes the surround estate — including vast lochs, mountains and moores — at around $278 million. Meredith Kile, People.com, 16 May 2025 The Loch Ness monster, in a grainy image now considered iconic, appeared as a dinosaur-like creature cruising across Scotland’s famous loch, or lake. Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2025 Indeed, veterans of the whisky world understand that turbulence and challenging periods are part of the whisky cycle, most notably seen during the whisky loch of the 1980s when distilleries had to close due to oversupply and falling demand. Mark Littler, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025 That might include kayaking or hiking Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island, searching for seals and birdlife on the uninhabited Brion Island, exploring the rugged beauty of Trois-Rivieres in Quebec, or sailing through the legendary lochs and canals of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Fran Golden, AFAR Media, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for loch

Word History

Etymology

Middle English (Scots) louch, from Scottish Gaelic loch; akin to Latin lacus lake — more at lake

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of loch was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Loch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loch. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

loch

noun
1
Scottish : lake
2
Scottish : an arm of the sea especially when it is nearly surrounded by land

More from Merriam-Webster on loch

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