haft

1 of 2

noun

ˈhaft

Synonyms of haft

: the handle of a weapon or tool

haft

2 of 2

verb

hafted; hafting; hafts

transitive verb

: to set in or furnish with a haft

Examples of haft in a Sentence

Noun the blade of the adze is still good, but the haft is broken and will have to be replaced

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

Table arrangements by florist Milli Proust drew inspiration from the Persian haft-sin, incorporating elements like hyacinths, wheatgrass, and candles. —Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2024

My grandparents set their haft-seen with poetry. —Caroline Newton, Bon Appétit, 18 Mar. 2022 Photo: Kelsey Cherry As Motamed was telling me about how haft-sin tables typically feature a book of poems—mystic poets Hafiz or Rumi are popular choices—the architect and activist Gisue Hariri arrived. —Maria Geyman, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2023 Before Nowruz begins, many families will arrange a table with seven symbolic items, known as haft-sin. —Noor Adatia, Dallas News, 19 Mar. 2023 Here's what to order at Ava At the moment the year changes, the family will gather around the haft seen, which at their house includes photos of family members who are not present. —Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 17 Mar. 2023 Handles helped make the tools easier to grip and more versatile; Wang and his colleagues found one bladelet with part of a bone haft still attached to the stone. —Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2022 This chert bladelet still has a remnant of its bone haft attached. —Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2022 The wooden haft is perfectly preserved & one of only a handful to survive in Britain. —Isis Davis-Marks, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Sep. 2021

Verb

Afterward, the result was a mixture of rockrose leaves dripping with labdanum, a sticky resin, that the scientists used to haft arrowheads to wood in a type of makeshift spear. —Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024 Scientists already knew that Neanderthals made adhesives using other materials like ocher and naturally sticky substances to haft stone tips onto wooden shafts to create weapons. —Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024 Their study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, found that the makers of the stone tools used the adhesive to mold a handle rather than haft the tool to wood. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024 For example, scanning electron microscopy allowed to us to pinpoint that camel hair was chosen as a fiber for making this rope bridle, while collagen preserved within ancient sinew revealed that deer tissue was used to haft a Bronze Age arrowhead to its shaft. —William Taylor, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2021 There was the first time someone knapped and hafted a rock onto a spear shaft, and the first time someone strung up a bow. —Tyler Freel, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2020 So the fact that archaeologists have found a handful of tools hafted using birch tar tells us that Neanderthals were (pardon the pun) pretty sharp. —Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 22 Oct. 2019 Those fires may have been used to work on existing tools, not just haft new ones. —Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 2 July 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hæft; akin to Old English hebban to lift — more at heave entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of haft was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Browse Nearby Words

hafnium

haft

haftarah

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Haft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haft. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

haft

noun

ˈhaft

: the handle of a weapon or tool

Last Updated: 12 Apr 2025 - Updated example sentences

haft

noun

verb

Synonyms

Examples of haft in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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haft

noun

verb

Synonyms

Examples of haft in a Sentence

Word History

Rhymes for haft

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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Kids Definition

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