heave to
To make a sailing boat nearly stop by adjusting the sails so they work against each other.
Meanings
(nautical) To bring a sailing vessel almost to a standstill by setting the sails against each other, used in bad weather or to wait.
"As the storm worsened, the captain ordered the crew to heave to and wait for conditions to improve."
(nautical, command) An order to stop a vessel, often shouted by coastguard or naval forces.
"'Heave to!' the coastguard called through the loudspeaker as they approached the fishing vessel."
A specialised nautical term. Used both as a command ('heave to!') and as a description ('the ship hove to'). The past tense is 'hove to.' Occasionally used figuratively in literary contexts to mean stopping or pausing, but this is rare. Not used in everyday non-sailing contexts.
Commonly used with
Forms
Understand "heave to" better
Real video examples
Video examples are being collected. Check back soon.
Want to master this phrasal verb?
Practice "heave to" on Looplines