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boxhaul

American  
[boks-hawl] / ˈbɒksˌhɔl /

verb (used with object)

Nautical.

  1. to put (a square-rigged sailing vessel) on a new tack by bracing the head yards aback and backing onto the new heading.

boxhaul British  
/ ˈbɒksˌhɔːl /

verb

  1. nautical to bring (a square-rigger) onto a new tack by backwinding the foresails and steering hard round

"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

Etymology

Origin of boxhaul

1760–70; box 1 (v.) + haul

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.

The English captain, who had been forced to boxhaul his great vessel in order to avoid running on the shoals, cursed beneath his breath.

From Yankee Ships and Yankee Sailors: Tales of 1812 by Barnes, James

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.