craft
/krɑːft
/noun
1An activity involving skill in making things by hand: the craft of cobbling [mass noun]: art and craft...
- There will be art and crafts, activities, quizzes and games at The Platform, Morecambe.
- Youngsters can take part in a variety of activities from crafts to computer games.
- The event also included games, activities and crafts.
Synonyms
activity, pursuit, occupation, work, line, line of work, profession, job, business, line of business, trade, employment, position, post, situation, career, métier, vocation, calling, skill, field, province, walk of life;
Scottish way
informal racket, game
Australian informal grip
archaic employ
1.1 (crafts) Work or objects made by hand: the shop sells local crafts (as modifier craft) a craft fair...
- The market, which sells local crafts, is worth a visit.
- Project Seahorse has helped communities sell local crafts to a wider market, often through aquariums.
- The square attracts many people and there are lots of local people selling their crafts.
1.2 [in singular] Skills involved in carrying out one’s work: the artist learned his craft in Holland...
- There is also a lack of understanding of how long it takes to master the craft.
- Along with the craft one should master the science and grammar of dance.
- Clearly she had honed her craft before publishing the books that made her famous.
Synonyms
skill, skilfulness, facility, ability, capability, competence, art, technique, aptitude, talent, flair, gift, genius, cleverness, knack;
artistry, mastery, dexterity, dexterousness, craftsmanship, workmanship, expertness, expertise, proficiency, adroitness, adeptness, deftness, ingenuity, virtuosity
informal know-how
1.3 [as modifier] Denoting or relating to food or drink made in a traditional or non-mechanized way by an individual or a small company: craft brewing a craft baker...
- The federal government shutdown could leave America's craft brewers with a serious hangover.
- He's trying to open a craft brewery in Milwaukee by December.
- It is a unique craft tea house unlike any other tea house in Orange County.
1.4The members of a skilled profession.
1.5 (the Craft) The brotherhood of Freemasons.At the earliest age possible I joined the Craft - and discovered my Father was a freemason....
- As all the wise teachers of the Craft agree, the Lodge is a Cradle and initiation is birth
2 [mass noun] Skill used in deceiving others: her cousin was not her equal in guile and evasive craft...
- He is practicing the ancient craft of equivocation, a trade plied by oracles thousands of years ago.
- Jonson allows the head male character to be exceedingly great at his craft of deception.
- She has done this for so long that she has gotten good at it, perfected her craft of deceiving people.
Synonyms
cunning, craftiness, guile, wiliness, artfulness, deviousness, slyness, trickery, trickiness;
duplicity, dishonesty, cheating, deceitfulness, deceit, deception, sharp practice, chicanery, intrigue, scheming, strategy, subterfuge, evasion;
wiles, ploys, schemes, stratagems, tactics, manoeuvres, tricks, ruses
informal foxiness, monkey business, funny business, hanky-panky, jiggery-pokery, every trick in the book
3 (plural same) A boat or ship: sailing craft...
- The patrol boat towed the craft to deep water where it was cleared of environmentally unfriendly products and then set adrift.
- The Navy vessel located the pleasure craft and stood by her until the local lifeboat arrived to take the stricken vessel in tow.
- In three minutes he was off the ship in his own craft to deliver another negative report to his superiors.
3.1An aircraft or spaceship.The craft is a biplane flying boat that is thought to have been designed and built immediately after the Great War....
- The hatch between the craft and the Space Station will be opened about 90 minutes later.
- During the test, the craft became airborne and Don decided to take the Flying Wing for a circuit.
Synonyms
vessel, ship, boat, watercraft, aircraft, machine, spacecraft, spaceship
British informal, dated kite
literary keel, barque
verb [with object]
Exercise skill in making (an object), typically by hand: he crafted the chair lovingly (as adjective, with submodifier crafted) a beautifully crafted object figurative Crichton knows how to craft a tale, one that keeps the reader turning the pages (as adjective, with submodifier crafted) a carefully crafted peace process...
- He was extremely gifted in crafting metals and his skills were much needed.
- Move your listeners and express yourself more effectively by crafting your songs the way hit writers do.
- All three of these guys are veterans, each adept at crafting perfect solos with formulae tried by time.
Derivatives
crafter
- In fact, they are a staggering triumvirate of imagery crafters.
- Pre-laundered scraps of at least 80 percent cotton were donated for the quilt by two area crafters.
- With over 25 members, the crafters meet every Thursday and hold specialised workshops once a-month on Saturdays.
Origin
Old English cræft 'strength, skill', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kracht, German Kraft, and Swedish kraft 'strength'. sense 3 of the noun, originally in the expression small craft 'small trading vessels', may be elliptical, referring to vessels requiring a small amount of ‘craft’ or skill to handle, as opposed to large ocean-going ships.
The Old English word craft meant ‘strength or skill’. The sense ‘a boat or ship’, initially in the expression ‘small craft’, dates from the 17th century, and may originally have referred to vessels that only needed a small amount of skill to handle, in contrast to large ocean-going ships. People initially used crafty (Old English) to mean ‘skilful’; over time this developed the more negative sense of ‘cunning or sly’ that it has today.