claw off

British

verb

(adverb, usually tr) nautical to avoid the dangers of (a lee shore or other hazard) by beating

"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

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 windward side of a ship is the side the wind’s coming from. The lee side is the other side of the ship. If a storm drives you toward land on your lee side, that’s about the most dangerous thing that can happen to you. Your ship has to ‘claw off’ that lee shore—fight against the storm.

From Literature

If your ship can’t claw off, then you’ll heave an anchor to windward, to try to hold the ship where she is.

From Literature

“I hope so, son. But you’d better claw off that lee shore. You’ve lost your anchor to windward.”

From Literature

The figures also helped the dollar claw off a week-low .DXY,

From Reuters

Luka Modric was another former Tottenham player on show for Real, and the Croatia midfielder went close with a deflected shot Vorm did well to claw off the line in the first half.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023