1. A long rod or pole (especially the handle of an implement or the body of a weapon like a spear or arrow)
   "The warrior's spear had a wooden shaft and a metal tip"
    
2. A long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
   "He thrust the shaft of the harpoon into the water";
   - spear, lance
    
3. A long vertical passage sunk into the earth, as for a mine or tunnel
   "The miners descended the shaft to reach the coal seam"
    
4. A vertical passageway through a building (as for an elevator)
   "The elevator shaft ran from the basement to the penthouse"
    
5. A revolving rod that transmits power or motion
   "The engine's rotating shaft transferred power to the wheels";
   - rotating shaft
    
6. (architecture) upright consisting of the vertical part of a column
   "The Doric column's shaft was fluted along its length";
   - scape
    
7. A column of light (as from a beacon)
   "A shaft of light from the lighthouse cut through the fog";
   - beam, beam of light, light beam, ray, ray of light, shaft of light, irradiation
    
8. The main (mid) section of a long bone
   "The shaft of the femur is the strongest part of the bone";
   - diaphysis
    
9. The hollow spine of a feather
   "The artist used a quill pen made from a large feather shaft";
   - quill, calamus
    
10. A line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
    "The shaft of the arrow on the map extended from the starting point to the destination"
     
11. An aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect
    "she threw shafts of sarcasm";
    - shot, slam, dig [informal], barb, jibe, gibe
     
12. [vulgar, informal] Obscene term for penis
    "The comedian's joke about his shaft made the audience laugh uncomfortably";

1. [informal] Defeat someone through trickery or deceit
   "The con artist shafted the unsuspecting victim out of their savings";
   - cheat, chouse [archaic], screw [informal], chicane, jockey
    
2. Equip with a shaft
   "The golf club was shafted with a new graphite rod"
    
3. [vulgar] (of a man) have sexual intercourse with
   "he boasted he was going to shaft his first date";

Derived forms: shafts, shafting, shafted

Type of: arm, beat, beat out, comment, crush, equip, fit, fit out, input, light, line, long bone, member, os longum, outfit, passage, passageway, penis, phallus, remark, rib, rod, shell [US], trounce, upright, vanquish, vertical, visible light, visible radiation, weapon, weapon system

Part of: arrow, building, column, edifice, mine, pillar, plume, pointer, rotating mechanism, tunnel

Encyclopedia: Shaft, John