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

From Reuters • Nov. 2, 2018

"Sometimes when they're in the tank, they fight," the waiter explained, "and they knock the other claw off."

From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2012

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

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

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 "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

The night came on, dreadful beyond description, in which, attempting to throw out our topsails to claw off the shore, they were immediately blown from the yards.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 17 Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time by Kerr, Robert

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