astern

American  

[uh-sturn] / əˈstɜrn /

adverb

1. in a position behind a specified vessel or aircraft.

   The cutter was following close astern.

2. in a backward direction.

   The steamer went astern at half speed.

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astern British  

/ əˈstɜːn /

adverb

1. at or towards the stern

2. with the stern first

   full speed astern!

3. aft of the stern of a vessel

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Etymology

Origin of astern

First recorded in 1620–30; a- ¹ + stern ²

Explanation

Astern means at the rear of a ship, boat, or plane. If your seat on an airplane is astern, you'll have to walk all the way to the very back to find it. While you can use astern to mean "at the back" or "behind," it's most common to save this adjective for when you're on a sailboat or describing the tail section of an airplane. The word was originally nautical, meaning "toward the stern of the boat," or "at the back of the ship." One theory about the origin of astern and stern says their root is the Old Norse stjorn, "a steering."

Example Sentences

But Monaco lived up to its reputation as a place where it is almost impossible to overtake and they stayed in line astern to the flag.

From BBC • May 29, 2022

Halfway between New Zealand and Cape Horn, he was on the deck when a huge wave came from astern and broke over the boat.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 19, 2019

We would visit it again on the way south, but in between, once the archipelago had slipped over the horizon astern of us, we would see no land.

From Washington Post • Sep. 4, 2018

Then Captain Villing headed for the mainland, with Fire Island astern.

From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2018

He cut the rope then and went astern to noose the tail.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway