as in bay
a part of a body of water that extends beyond the general shoreline
in his biography of Samuel Johnson, James Boswell tells of being conducted by a Scottish boatman "across one of the lochs, as they call them, or arms of the sea"
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of loch
In the first mission, Kelce got to spend time helping her team paddle a boat across a beautiful Scottish loch.
—
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2026
The stones stand between two lochs on the largest of the Orkney Islands, off the northeastern tip of mainland Scotland.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
What with its rippling mountains, meditative lochs, and misty woodlands, Scotland’s moody atmosphere hits its stride in the cooler seasons.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2025
Donal, a nightclub owner in Chicago obsessed with the blues, has resisted going back to the land of lochs for reasons that will become only somewhat clear over the course of the run time.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for loch
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2026
The stones stand between two lochs on the largest of the Orkney Islands, off the northeastern tip of mainland Scotland.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
What with its rippling mountains, meditative lochs, and misty woodlands, Scotland’s moody atmosphere hits its stride in the cooler seasons.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2025
Donal, a nightclub owner in Chicago obsessed with the blues, has resisted going back to the land of lochs for reasons that will become only somewhat clear over the course of the run time.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for loch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loch
Noun
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The rain moved into the region closer to San Francisco, including some areas in the East and South bays, in the afternoon, Murdock said.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
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While social media debates whether their name is pronounced bet-tuh or bay-tuh, veterinarians tend to be more concerned with how they’re cared for than how they’re named.—
Sierra Leone Starks,
Parents,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Built in the estuary of what was once the River Kaystros, near the Aegean coast, Ephesus thrived as a trading hub connecting east and west.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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Three men, all 22 years old, fell through the ice into the estuary’s frigid waters off Norton Drive and Bayswater Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Bleary-eyed coverage that kicks off before sunrise in the States, with gusts off the firth and cut lines that can swallow a top 10 in an hour.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
9 July 2025
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On the distant horizon was a cluster of faint street lights, a small town hunkered on the far side of the firth.—
Douglas Stuart,
The New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2020
Noun
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But even nondescript coves take on grandeur in Finland.—
Boris Fishman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
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Framed by lush hillsides and untouched greenery, the secluded cove feels worlds away from the rest of St Barth’s, with calm, crystal clear water and a sense of near-total serenity.—
Molly Barstein,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loch. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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