Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adv. In or into a high place; high or higher up.
- adv. Nautical At or toward the upper rigging.
- prep. On or above: birds perching aloft telephone wires.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- On high; in or into the air; high above the ground: as, the eagle soars aloft.
- Nautical, in or into the top; at the masthead, or on the higher yards or rigging; hence, on the upper part, as of a building.
- On the top or surface of; above.
Wiktionary
- adv. in the air; in the sky
- adv. above, overhead, in a high place; up
- adv. in the top, at the masthead, or on the higher yards or rigging.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adv. On high; in the air; high above the ground.
- adv. In the top; at the mast head, or on the higher yards or rigging; overhead; hence (Fig. and Colloq.), in or to heaven.
- prep. Above; on top of.
WordNet 3.0
- adv. in the higher atmosphere above the earth
- adv. at or on or to the masthead or upper rigging of a ship
- adv. at or to great height; high up in or into the air
- adv. upward.
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Old Norse ā lopt : ā, in; see an- in Indo-European roots + lopt, air.
Examples
“Irrational economic exuberance brought other luxury touches, including hydraulic hinges that seemed to allow trunk lids end engine hoods to float up and remain aloft when open, as if by magic.”
The Washington Post: The Volkswagen Jetta's graceful ride back down to earth
“Young birds may remain aloft for two or even three years at a time.”
“Although mortally wounded on her final mission, the plane nevertheless "battled" to remain aloft so that her crew would have enough time to bail out. 74 This conceit is partly explained by the standard procedure for bailing out while in enemy territory.”
Miss Yourlovin: GIs, Gender, and Domesticity during World War II
“The source of the alarm that has my colleagues chittering on the termite mound like meerkats on the veldt who have espied a Martial Eagle coursing aloft is a report in EU Reporter by Chris White:”
“He held the animal protein aloft, offering it to the visitor.”
365 tomorrows » 2008 » July : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day
“It gave us Washington -- it gave us liberty, and bears our name aloft among the nations of the earth.”
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 3 No 2, February 1863 Devoted To Literature And National Policy
“In vain Mahoney strove to get the men to take turns in watching aloft from the mizzenmast for any chance vessel.”
“The officer at the front shouts an order, sword aloft, oblivious to his fallen comrade.”
The Wall Street Journal: A Great Bronze Tarnished by Neglect
“Riding Traveler was a guy dressed in a gaudy Trojans get-up, holding a sword aloft and exhorting the crowd.”
Jonah Keri: A Former Season-Ticket Holder's Take On Pete Carroll and USC
“Like The Bride in Kill Bill Vol. 1, and come back, sword aloft, duelling with Cameron in 2014.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘aloft’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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Artistic words
Good for poetry, or just artistic on their own.
fluxus, gallant, kinetic, lurk, disengage, mist, agleam, voyeur, devoid, crimson, ebony, azure and 94 more...
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Hence
Words with definitions that have a "hence" in them.
hanger, Deet, tripe, spindlelegs, fiddle, store, pluck, snap, villain, link, comedy, particular and 376 more...
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magus's list
synchronicity, ascension, gravitas, requiem, totem, artifice, symmetry, dissonance, harmony, aloft, inversion
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Uppity
Words and concepts of up. Literally or figuratively.
climb, arise, levitate, ascend, excelsior!, assurgent, arbeiration, elevate, raise, boost, acclivous, anabatic and 16 more...
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