Meaning & use
shaft
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Meanings
nouncountable
A long, narrow, usually vertical passage, such as in a mine or a lift.
Grammar: Used with of or a type: a mine shaft.
Patterns
- a shaft of something
- a mine shaft
Workers rode a cage down the mine shaft each morning.
The elevator shaft was dark and silent.
A ventilation shaft carries fresh air to the tunnel.
nouncountable
The long, thin handle or main stem of a tool, weapon, or arrow.
Grammar: Used for the long part: the shaft of a golf club.
Patterns
- the shaft of something
The shaft of the spear was made of ash wood.
He gripped the shaft of the golf club tightly.
The arrow's shaft was straight and light.
nouncountabletechnical
A rotating rod in a machine that transmits power.
Grammar: Technical use: a drive shaft.
Patterns
- a drive shaft
A broken drive shaft left the car stranded.
The engine turns a shaft connected to the propeller.
The mechanic replaced the worn shaft.
nouncountableliterary
A narrow beam of light.
Grammar: Usually shaft of light or sunlight.
Patterns
- a shaft of light
A shaft of sunlight lit the dusty floor.
A shaft of light slipped through the curtains.
The moon sent a silver shaft across the lake.
verbtransitiveinformalAmerican
To treat someone unfairly, especially by cheating them of something they deserve.
Grammar: Informal and mostly American; takes an object.
Patterns
- shaft someone
The workers felt shafted when their bonuses were cancelled.
Don't let the dealer shaft you on the price.
He got shafted out of a promotion.
Word forms
| plural | shafts |
|---|---|
| third person singular | shafts |
| past tense | shafted |
| past participle | shafted |
| -ing form | shafting |
Common combinations
- mine shaft
- A rescue team entered the mine shaft.
- elevator shaft
- The elevator shaft runs through all ten floors.
- shaft of light
- A shaft of light fell on the stage.
- drive shaft
- The drive shaft needs repair.
- get the shaft
- I got the shaft when they changed the rules.
- ventilation shaft
- Smoke rose through the ventilation shaft.
Synonyms and how they differ
- handle
- Handle is the part you hold, while shaft is the long body of a tool, which may not be held.
- beam
- Beam is a general word for light, while shaft suggests a narrow strip of it.
- cheat
- Cheat is more general and neutral than the informal shaft.
- tunnel
- A tunnel is mostly horizontal, whereas a shaft is mostly vertical.
Word family
- shafting noun
- a system of rotating shafts
- driveshaft noun
- the rod that transmits engine power
- shaft-driven adjective
- powered by a shaft
Commonly confused: shaft or shaff?
shaft vs shaff
This is a misspelling; shaft ends in ft.
Practice
A shaft of light is best described as ___.
Choose one answer.
A shaft of light is a narrow beam. A wide glow would not be described this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shaft”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.