loom
1 Americannoun
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a hand-operated or power-driven apparatus for weaving fabrics, containing harnesses, lay, reed, shuttles, treadles, etc.
-
the art or the process of weaving.
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the part of an oar between the blade and the handle.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to appear indistinctly; come into view in indistinct and enlarged form.
The mountainous island loomed on the horizon.
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to rise before the vision with an appearance of great or portentous size.
Suddenly a police officer loomed in front of him.
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to assume form as an impending event.
A battle looms at the convention.
noun
abbreviation
verb
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to come into view indistinctly with an enlarged and often threatening aspect
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(of an event) to seem ominously close
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(often foll by over) (of large objects) to dominate or overhang
noun
noun
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an apparatus, worked by hand ( hand loom ) or mechanically ( power loom ), for weaving yarn into a textile
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the middle portion of an oar, which acts as a fulcrum swivelling in the rowlock
noun
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another name for diver
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any of various other birds, esp the guillemot
Etymology
Origin of loom1
First recorded before 900; Middle English lome, lombe, lume “tool, implement, loom,” Old English lōma, gelōma; further origin uncertain
Origin of loom2
First recorded in 1590–1600; origin uncertain; perhaps akin to East Frisian lomen, Swedish lome “move slowly”
Origin of loom3
First recorded in 1670–80; from Old Norse lōmr “loon”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The upshot is that the Glasgow two are still trailing in Hearts' slipstream while looking over their shoulders at a Motherwell team who are looming large behind them.
From BBC
When the basketball world convened in Los Angeles for the NBA All-Star Game, the main point of discussion wasn’t the upcoming playoffs or the looming trade deadline.
The Trojans’ midweek matchup in Seattle looms especially large.
From Los Angeles Times
Lille, in the Europa League on March 12, and a trip to Old Trafford on 15 March will then loom large for Villa.
From BBC
Amid this seismic shift looms an existential question: Can those cities survive without them?
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
