loom - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

Loom has two distinct meanings. First, it's a tool for weaving. Second, it means to appear or stand over someone in a threatening way. The future loomed grim. The shadow loomed above us.

A common way we hear loom is in "loomed large," as in, "The specter of getting fired loomed large in Amanda's imagination." Deriving from Low German or Dutch, the word sounds smoky (or misty) and spectral: the Antarctic ice-shelf loomed on the horizon as Shackleton's ship approached the continent.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: loom

1	n v	a textile machine for weaving yarn into a textile weave on a loom
2	v	come into view indistinctly, often threateningly

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: loom

1

n a textile machine for weaving yarn into a textile

Types:: show 7 types...; hide 7 types...; carpet loom
a loom for weaving carpeting; figure loom, figured-fabric loom
a loom for weaving figured fabrics; handloom
a loom powered by hand; Jacquard, Jacquard loom
a loom with an attachment for forming openings for the passage of the shuttle between the warp threads; used in weaving figured fabrics; power loom
a loom operated mechanically; high-warp loom
a handloom in which the warp is carried vertically; for weaving tapestry; low-warp-loom
a handloom in which the warp is carried horizontally; for weaving tapestry

Type of:: textile machine
a machine for making textiles

v weave on a loom

“materials loomed in Egypt”

Type of:: tissue, weave
create a piece of cloth by interlacing strands of fabric, such as wool or cotton

2

v come into view indistinctly, often threateningly

“Another air plane loomed into the sky”

Type of:: appear, look, seem
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

v hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing

Synonyms:: brood, bulk large, hover

Types:: dominate, eclipse, overshadow
be greater in significance than

Type of:: hang
be menacing, burdensome, or oppressive

v appear very large or occupy a commanding position

“Large shadows loomed on the canyon wall”

Synonyms:: hulk, predominate, tower

Type of:: lift, rear, rise
rise up