Meaning & use
hayloft
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
the upper part of a barn where hay is kept, often reached by a ladder or stairs.
Grammar: Use 'a' or 'the' before it, and add -s for more than one: 'They slept in the hayloft.'
Patterns
- in the hayloft
- up in the hayloft
- climb into the hayloft
The children loved playing in the hayloft on rainy days.
He climbed the ladder to the hayloft and threw down fresh hay for the cows.
The old barn has a large hayloft that is now used for storing tools.
Word forms
| plural | haylofts |
|---|
Common combinations
- in the hayloft
- They found a family of owls living in the hayloft.
- climb into the hayloft
- She climbed into the hayloft to look for the cat.
- hayloft door
- The hayloft door was open, letting in the morning light.
- sleep in the hayloft
- During the summer, the farm workers sometimes slept in the hayloft.
Synonyms and how they differ
- loft
- A general word for an upper room or space under a roof; it does not have to be for hay.
- barn loft
- A clearer phrase for the same space, often used when 'hayloft' might be unclear.
Word family
Commonly confused: hayloft or haystack?
hayloft vs haystack
A haystack is a large pile of hay in a field, not a room in a building.
Practice
What is a hayloft?
Choose one answer.
A hayloft is a space inside a barn, usually under the roof. A pile of hay in a field is a haystack, a cutting machine is a mower, and a hay field is just a field.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hayloft”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.