From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_280_araftraft /rɑːft $ ræft/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 TTWa flat floating structure, usually made of pieces of wood tied together, used as a boat2 → a raft of something3 a flat floating structure that you can sit on, jump from etc when you are swimming4 TTWTTAa small flat rubber boat filled with air, used for example if a boat sinks
Examples from the Corpus
raft• Closing a raft of useless federal establishments will get rid of only some 80,000 of them.• When you move abroad you face a raft of financial decisions, including which type of bank account to open.• She needed a proper boat, not a raft.• A raft of foreign-owned firms have built new factories.• He greeted Collingridge's downfall like a drowning man discovers a life raft.• The waves which lapped over the stern of the raft were our waste-disposal system.• When the raft bumped on the sand, the fishermen could step ashore only knee deep in the water.• The raft is built and on its way.From Longman Business Dictionaryraftraft /rɑːftræft/ noun a raft of something a large number of thingsThere has been a raft of new laws aimed at giving better protection to children in the past few years.Origin raft 1. (1200-1300) Old Norse raptr “large piece of wood, rafter”2. (1800-1900) raff “mixture of things” ((17-19 centuries)), influenced by → RAFT1 