What does "shaft" mean?
The entire body of a long weapon, such as an arrow.
Shaft
/ʃɑːft/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The entire body of a long weapon, such as an arrow.
- Grammar: shaft is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: beam, dig, ray, abysm.
- Useful contrasts: adit, collapse, compensate.
- Usage evidence: This shaft links with a piston.
How to use "shaft"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "shaft" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "shaft" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "shaft" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "shaft" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "shaft" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "beam" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "shaft", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The entire body of a long weapon, such as an arrow. obsolete
"A shaft hath three principal parts, the stele, the feathers, and the head."
- 2 the hollow spine of a feather wordnet
- 3 The long, narrow, central body of a spear, arrow, or javelin.
"Her hand slipped off the javelin's shaft towards the spearpoint and that's why her score was lowered."
- 4 a revolving rod that transmits power or motion wordnet
- 5 Anything cast or thrown as a spear or javelin. broadly
"[…]and the Thunder, / Wing'd with red Lightning and impetuous rage, / Perhaps hath ſpent his ſhafts […]"
Show 24 more definitions
- 6 a long rod or pole (especially the handle of an implement or the body of a weapon like a spear or arrow) wordnet
- 7 Any long thin object, such as the handle of a tool.; One of the poles between which a draught animal is harnessed to a vehicle.
"While Kitto chatted to William, Jessamy looked with interest at the dog cart. It had a pair of high wooden wheels with two seats back to back above. Between the shafts the bay mare tossed her head and fidgeted on the cobbles."
- 8 a long vertical passage sunk into the earth, as for a mine or tunnel wordnet
- 9 Any long thin object, such as the handle of a tool.; A rotating machine element used to transmit power; a driveshaft
"Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work."
- 10 (architecture) upright consisting of the vertical part of a column wordnet
- 11 Any long thin object, such as the handle of a tool.; The long narrow body of a lacrosse stick.
"Sarah, if you wear gloves your hands might not slip on your shaft and you can up your game, girl!"
- 12 a vertical passageway through a building (as for an elevator) wordnet
- 13 A beam or ray of light. literary
"Isn't that shaft of light from that opening in the cave beautiful?"
- 14 a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon wordnet
- 15 The main axis of a feather.
"I had no idea that they removed the feathers' shafts to make the pillows softer!"
- 16 obscene terms for penis wordnet
- 17 A vertical or inclined passage sunk into the earth as part of a mine.
"Your grandfather used to work with a crane hauling ore out of the gold mine's shafts."
- 18 the main (mid) section of a long bone wordnet
- 19 A vertical passage housing a lift or elevator.
"Darn it, my keys fell through the gap and into the elevator shaft."
- 20 an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect wordnet
- 21 A ventilation or heating conduit.
"Our parrot flew into the air duct and got stuck in the shaft."
- 22 a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer wordnet
- 23 Any column or pillar, particularly the body of a column between its capital and pedestal.
"Spirit, that made those heroes dare / To die, or leave their children free / Bid Time and Nature gently spare / The shaft we raise to thee."
- 24 a column of light (as from a beacon) wordnet
- 25 The main cylindrical part of the penis.
"The female labia minora is homologous to the penis shaft skin of males."
- 26 The chamber of a blast furnace.
- 27 A relatively small area of precipitation that an onlook can discern from the dry surrounding area.
- 28 A component of a loom which holds the heddles and is raised by treadles to create the shed.
"Eight shafts are required to weave this structure. If you have four shafts, you may weave something similar by threading alternate blocks to plain weave and 2/2 basket."
- 29 An act of sexual intercourse. slang
"I sat on the sofa, got up, changed channels and doubted there'd be time to have a quick shaft and feign an orgasm today."
Verb
- 1 To fuck over; to cause harm to, especially through deceit or treachery. slang, transitive
"Your boss really shafted you by stealing your idea like that."
- 2 defeat someone through trickery or deceit wordnet
- 3 To equip with a shaft. transitive
- 4 equip with a shaft wordnet
- 5 To fuck; to have sexual intercourse with. slang, transitive
"Turns out my roommate was shafting my girlfriend."
Antonyms
Example
"This shaft links with a piston."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "shaft"?
Common synonyms include: beam, dig, ray, abysm, abyss, adit.
How do you use "shaft" in a sentence?
This shaft links with a piston.
How do you pronounce "shaft"?
Pronounced /ʃɑːft/.
Etymology
From Middle English schaft, from Old English sċeaft, from Proto-West Germanic *skaft, from Proto-Germanic *skaftaz. Cognate with Dutch schacht, German German Schaft, Swedish skaft. In Early Modern English, shaft referred to the entire body of a long weapon, such that an arrow's “shaft” was composed of its tip, stale, and fletching. Over time, the word came to be used in place of the former stale and lost its original meaning.