Dictionary.com

close-hauled

[ klohs-hawld ]
/ ˈkloʊsˈhɔld /

adjective, adverb Nautical.

as close to the wind as a vessel will sail, with sails as flat as possible; full and by.

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Origin of close-hauled

First recorded in 1760–70

Words nearby close-hauled

closed universe, closefisted, close-fitting, close-grained, close harmony, close-hauled, close helmet, close-in, close juncture, close-knit, close-lipped
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for close-hauled

British Dictionary definitions for close-hauled

close-hauled
/ (ˌkləʊsˈhɔːld) /

adjective

nautical with the sails flat, so as to sail as close to the wind as possible
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