Meaning & use
craft
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Meanings
nouncountable
A skill of making things by hand, such as pottery or woodwork, that takes practice and training.
Grammar: Often a traditional craft: the craft of weaving.
Patterns
- the craft of something
Pottery is a craft that takes years to master.
She learned the craft of bookbinding from her uncle.
Local crafts are sold at the weekend market.
noununcountable
Skill and care in doing work that requires technique, such as writing or acting.
Grammar: No plural: the craft of writing.
Patterns
- the craft of something
He spent years honing his craft as a novelist.
The film shows great craft in every scene.
Good storytelling is a matter of craft as much as inspiration.
verbtransitive
To make or create something skillfully, with careful attention.
Grammar: Takes an object: craft a message.
Patterns
- craft something from something
- craft something for someone
She crafted a beautiful chair from reclaimed wood.
The lawyer carefully crafted her closing argument.
They crafted a plan to reduce waste.
nouncountable
A boat, ship, aircraft or spacecraft.
Grammar: The plural is also craft: three small craft.
The rescue craft reached the stranded sailors by dawn.
A small craft appeared on the horizon.
The spacecraft released a landing craft.
Word forms
| plural | crafts |
|---|---|
| third person singular | crafts |
| past tense | crafted |
| past participle | crafted |
| -ing form | crafting |
Common combinations
- traditional craft
- Basket weaving is a traditional craft in this village.
- hone your craft
- Authors hone their craft by writing every day.
- arts and crafts
- The children enjoyed arts and crafts after school.
- craft fair
- We bought handmade candles at the craft fair.
- craft a response
- The team crafted a response to the complaint.
- pleasure craft
- Several pleasure craft sailed past the harbor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- skill
- Skill is any ability, whereas craft is a specific hand-based or artistic trade.
- trade
- Trade is a job needing practical training and done for pay, while craft stresses the artistry.
- artistry
- Artistry stresses creative talent more than technique.
- vessel
- Vessel, for the boat sense, is a bit more formal than craft.
Word family
- crafty adjective
- clever in a sly way
- craftsman noun
- a skilled maker of things
- craftsmanship noun
- quality of skill in making
- handcrafted adjective
- made by hand with care
- crafts noun
- hobbies of making things
Commonly confused: craft or craftsmanship? craft or crafty?
craft vs craftsmanship
Craftsmanship is the quality of skilled work, while craft is the skill or trade itself.
craft vs crafty
Crafty means sly or cunning, not skilled at making things.
Practice
The writer spent decades improving her ___.
Choose one answer.
After a possessive, a noun is needed, so craft fits. Crafted is a verb or adjective form and cannot fill this slot.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “craft”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.