{
    "term": "loom",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "loom",
            "heSheIt": "looms"
        },
        "pastSimple": "loomed",
        "pastParticiple": "loomed",
        "ingForm": "looming"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to appear as a large shape that is not clear, especially in a frightening way",
            "sensetop": "(+ adv./prep.)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "A dark shape loomed up ahead of us."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Ghostly shapes loomed out of the fog in front of him."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He loomed above her."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The tower loomed over the city."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A figure loomed in the doorway."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Dizzying walls of rock loomed on either side of them."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Something huge and black loomed out of the mist."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to appear serious and likely to happen soon",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "There was a crisis looming."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A new threat is now looming on the horizon."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Further problems loomed ahead of us."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The day of the election loomed ever closer."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to be frightening and make you worried because something seems hard to avoid",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The prospect of war loomed large."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The issue looms large in political campaigns nationwide."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/luːm/",
                "audio": "lo/loom/loom__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/luːmz/",
                "audio": "lo/loom/looms__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/luːmd/",
                "audio": "lo/loom/loomed__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈluːmɪŋ/",
                "audio": "lo/loom/looming__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/luːm/",
                "audio": "lo/loom/loom__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/luːmz/",
                "audio": "lo/loom/looms__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/luːmd/",
                "audio": "lo/loom/loomed__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈluːmɪŋ/",
                "audio": "lo/loom/looming__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "verb mid 16th cent.: probably from Low German or Dutch; compare with East Frisian lōmen ‘move slowly’, Middle High German lüemen ‘be weary’."
}