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

"If you hear three it means you are going astern, if you hear two, it means you are turning to port," he said.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2022

Observing the usual ceremony, the cars were rolled to the grid in line astern by white-overalled mechanics.

From The Guardian • Mar. 29, 2020

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

The tide was running so that long streaks of foam tailed away from the reef and for a moment they felt that the boat was moving steadily astern.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding