SHAFTS Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

shafts

noun

plural of shaft

as in beams

a narrow sharply defined line of light radiating from an object shafts of late-afternoon sunlight pierced the blinds and streaked the floor

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as in spears

a weapon with a long straight handle and sharp head or blade the footmen set their shafts so as to form a bank of steel against the enemy's charging cavalry

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as in injustices

unfair or inadequate treatment of someone or something or an instance of this the homeowners who were bought out are convinced they got the shaft in that deal

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of shafts Unlike other methods for sinking deep shafts, Gangtie Jiliang is built specifically to tackle hard rock. —

Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026 Upgrades will require significant reinforcement of some walls and elevator shafts, though engineers have found ways to do the work by pouring new concrete footings and installing additional steel bracing without significantly impinging on internal spaces or being visible on exterior surfaces. —

Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026 While rare earths will be the primary focus, exploration will also assess the potential for gold mining — the area is dotted with old, small-scale adits and shafts. —

Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026 The mine shafts oblige them generously, particularly after a bender or a jilting. —

Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026 That list includes several top-20 players and notables playing the brand’s popular iron shafts, such as Lydia Ko (KBS VX Lite 90) and Hye-Jin Choi (PGI 90). —

Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026 The condition of caskets, artifacts and human remains varied, said Stantec archeologist Ryan Peterson, noting that the number human remains found does not equal the number of grave shafts. —

Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 14 Nov. 2025 Stairwells and elevator shafts acted like chimneys, and the absence of emergency lighting, signage and alternative exits prevented the safe evacuation of the hotel’s 238 guests, the indictment said. —

CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025 In the past, some radioactive fallout has leaked from test shafts. —

Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 30 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shafts

Noun

Transported deep underground, the steel beams will be used for the construction of massive detector modules that will help Fermilab engineers to study neutrinos, some of the most common and least understood particles in the universe.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 May 2026
The first step involves getting 10 million pounds of steel beams underground through a 20-foot-wide shaft—and that only covers the first container.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 May 2026