loom

1 of 3

noun (1)

: a frame or machine for interlacing (see interlace sense 1) at right angles two or more sets of threads or yarns to form a cloth

loom

2 of 3

verb

loomed; looming; looms

intransitive verb

1
: to come into sight in enlarged or distorted and indistinct form often as a result of atmospheric conditions
Storm clouds loomed on the horizon.
2
a
: to appear in an impressively great or exaggerated form
deficits loomed large
b
: to take shape as an impending occurrence
the problems that loomed ahead

loom

3 of 3

noun (2)

: the indistinct and exaggerated appearance of something seen on the horizon or through fog or darkness
also : a looming shadow or reflection

Examples of loom in a Sentence

Verb Storm clouds loomed on the horizon. The mountains loom above the valley.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But a larger, trickier deadline for the rest of the government — including the Defense, State and Homeland Security departments — looms just two weeks away, and negotiators are still far apart on spending amounts and policy provisions necessary to fund those agencies. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Kenyatta has recorded video messages for his estranged daughter, which are projected on the upstage wall, and his face, big as a billboard, looms above Nina’s ugly room, his eyes as staring and huge as a god’s. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2024 About 70% of Gen Z workers plan to freelance now or in the future—as layoffs surge and AI job-replacement looms, many are shifting away from traditional employment. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024 It would be programmed by punch cards, like the industrial looms of the time. Charlie Fink, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024 How large that battle still looms was apparent from the first day of the session, when Jones and several other Democrats questioned a new ticketing system implemented by House Speaker Cameron Sexton that restricted the number of people who could observe the session in person. Dakin Andone, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024 More of those curveballs Neville talked about loom on the horizon. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Dec. 2023 Meanwhile, grief looms over Henrik’s family, threatening to tear them apart. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Feb. 2024 Congress has faced three government shutdown deadlines since September, and another looms in March. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024
Verb
Water agencies face looming requirements to upgrade treatment technologies to remove contaminants as government agencies adopt more stringent standards. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 In recent years, though, as fentanyl has spread and concerns about crime and homelessness have loomed as potential political liabilities for Democrats, some coastal jurisdictions that had taken a permissive approach to drug use have backtracked. Mitch Smith, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Wars are raging, populism is growing, and momentous elections are looming at home and abroad, but luxury’s response is mostly to apply the rules of disengagement. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 Above this canvas metropolis loom red water towers whose tanks are known to teem with worms. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 By the end of this episode, his trial continues to loom. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 But a legal deadline to come up with a more equitable social compact, at least in the eyes of the Supreme Court, now looms at the end of March. Mick Krever, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 Communities economically reliant on the Cholla Power Plant, located between Winslow and Holbrook just south of the Navajo Nation, will not receive utility ratepayer funds to jumpstart their economic transition as the plant's closure looms. Alexis Waiss, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 Mejia said that may be too late for him as scholarship deadlines loom. Hannah Poukish, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English lome tool, loom, from Old English gelōma tool; akin to Middle Dutch allame tool

Verb and Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1836, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near loom

Cite this Entry

“Loom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loom. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

loom

1 of 2 noun
: a frame or machine for weaving threads or yarns to produce cloth

loom

2 of 2 verb
1
: to appear suddenly and often with a large, dim, or strange form
loomed out of the fog
2
: to be about to happen

More from Merriam-Webster on loom

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