loomverb [ I ]
uk/luːm/us/luːm/loom verb [ I ] (APPEAR)
C2 to appear as a large, often frightening or unclear shape or object:
Dark storm clouds loomed on the horizon.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Arriving, entering and invading
- annex
- barge
- barge in
- be on the scene idiom
- been
- breaking and entering idiom
- bugger
- go down
- hove
- intrusion
- invade
- keep (sb/sth) out
- land
- let
- let sb/sth in
- pile
- pitch
- pitch invasion
- rock
- roll up! idiom
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loom verb [ I ] (CAUSE WORRY)
C2 If an unwanted or unpleasant event looms, it seems likely to happen soon and causes worry:
Her final exams are looming.
Here, too, the threat of unemployment has been looming on the horizon.
The threat of closure looms over the workforce.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
About to happen
- (just) around the corner idiom
- about
- at hand idiom
- be on the point of (doing) sth idiom
- be ready to roll idiom
- beckon
- come up
- corner
- horizon
- in the air idiom
- in the pipeline idiom
- in-store
- looming
- pipeline
- ready
- store
- teeter
- teeter on the brink/edge of sth idiom
- wait
- wait in the wings idiom
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Idiom(s)
loom large
loomnoun [ C ]
uk/luːm/us/luːm/a piece of equipment for weaving (= making thread into cloth)
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Machines - general words
- 3-D printer
- automatic
- backhoe
- bot
- cash machine
- cement mixer
- cloud chamber
- compactor
- contraption
- cotton gin
- crank
- elevator
- humidifier
- lift
- Mk
- plant
- rotor
- selector
- sensitive
- vending machine
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