abaft
Americanpreposition
adverb
adverb
preposition
Etymology
Origin of abaft
1225–75; Middle English on baft, abaft, equivalent to a- 1 and on on + baft, Old English bæftan contraction of be + æftan. See by aft 1
Explanation
Ahoy! Abaft is a word used on boats. If something is abaft, it’s towards the rear, or stern, of a boat. Abaft means "in the back." Though rarely heard on dry land, this old seafaring word refers to the rear end of a ship. Abaft can also refer to the back end of an airplane. Even if you’re not a sailor (or pilot), if you read Moby Dick or other stories of the sea, then you’ll need to know what abaft means. Think of the word after when you see that aft on the end.
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.
A cedar-lined hanging locker for your Dude Duds and gold Fountain bling is to starboard, just abaft this area.
From Time Magazine Archive
In Valchem crew's quarters, just five or six feet abaft the deep cut, an oiler awoke into a nightmare.
From Time Magazine Archive
Even as I looked several long red flashes spurted forward and abaft the funnel, and as I raced back to the cabin the passageway behind me heaved and filled with smoke.
From Time Magazine Archive
The mainsheet is under the deck, with a two-part adjustment just abaft the helm, and all the winch-control buttons are recessed flush with removable chafe pads.
From Time Magazine Archive
“And my gog! how could they be otherwise? Look at that one, the aftest abaft the bier-bank: read it!”
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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.
