(nautical) To bring a sailing vessel almost to a standstill by balancing the sails against each other, or to stop a vessel.
To make a sailing boat nearly stop by adjusting the sails so they work against each other.
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
(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."
To heave (pull) the sails 'to' a position that brings the vessel to a halt.
To make a sailing boat nearly stop by adjusting the sails so they work against each other.
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.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "heave to" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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