the shaft

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But there was one thing that Toews, his teammates and 40 million Canadians forgot to account for: the shaft of U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s stick.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Here are two films largely about torturous family dynamics; why is Winslet’s getting the shaft?

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2026

He observes precisely the labor of his father: “The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft / Against the inside knee was levered firmly.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

It has been going down the shaft every hour.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2025

In the dusty wardrobe where I plotted my escape, the shaft of light admitted by the narrow window shone like the bright beam of reason in a chaotic world.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein