astern
in a position behind a specified vessel or aircraft: The cutter was following close astern.
in a backward direction: The steamer went astern at half speed.
Origin of astern
1Words Nearby astern
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use astern in a sentence
Boat after boat came up and made fast astern of the dandy vessel, and soon the decks were crowded with merry groups.
The Chequers | James RuncimanHis boat was astern, so he jumped over the counter and sculled himself straight to the Mission smack.
The Chequers | James RuncimanThe patrol-ship was on station; she was lost far astern before she could gather speed for pursuit.
Astounding Stories, May, 1931 | VariousHe had stood thus for some time, when turning round, and looking astern, the cutter was no longer to be seen.
Digby Heathcote | W.H.G. KingstonThen a wave would come aboard astern, rolling in and nearly filling the cockpit.
The Rival Campers | Ruel Perley Smith
British Dictionary definitions for astern
/ (əˈstɜːn) /
at or towards the stern
with the stern first: full speed astern!
aft of the stern of a vessel
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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