tiller
1 Americannoun
noun
-
a plant shoot that springs from the root or bottom of the original stalk.
-
a sapling.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a shoot that arises from the base of the stem in grasses
-
a less common name for sapling
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of tiller1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tiller(e), tiliere; see origin at till 2, -er 1
Origin of tiller2
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English teler, telor, tiler(e) “the stock of a crossbow or firearm; tiller (for a boat),” from Old French telier, teiler “weaver's beam,” from Medieval Latin tēlārium, equivalent to Latin tēl(a) “cloth being woven on a loom; loom; plan, design” + -ārium -ary
Origin of tiller3
First recorded before 1000; Old English telgor, tealgor “twig, shoot,” (not recorded in Middle English ); akin to Old English telga “branch, bough,” Old Norse tjalga “twig, branch,” Dutch telg
Explanation
The tiller is what steers a boat — specifically, the handle attached to the rudder. Tillers are generally found on smaller boats because it would take too much force to steer larger ships with hand tillers. If you have never been on a sailboat before, it may take you a few minutes to figure out how to move the tiller to smoothly steer the boat because you might move the tiller in the opposite direction that you want the boat to go. If you want the bow of the boat to go starboard (right), for example, you need to move the tiller to the port side (left) and vice versa. Rapid back and forth movement on the tiller helps create drag and slows the boat.
Vocabulary lists containing tiller
The Old Man and the Sea
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The Red Pyramid
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The Odyssey
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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.
Lead researcher Dr Nicholas Tiller explains: "They are designed to give very confident, very authoritative responses, and that conveys a sense of credibility, so the user assumes that it must know what it's talking about."
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
"If we don't then I fear that that we will die a slow death, because it will just steamroll over us," Tiller told AFP.
From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026
The two hour sets left plenty of room for collaborators - with Lauryn Hill, Bryson Tiller, Central Cee and Dave getting the biggest cheers of the weekend.
From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025
Tiller was in Atlanta on a teacher recruiting trip.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2024
While Dallas and Florida went back to get their sleeping bags, Tiller and Sairy packed up the breakfast things.
From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
