head sea

American

noun

Nautical.

a formation of waves running in a direction opposite to that of a vessel.

head sea British

noun

a sea in which the waves run directly against the course of a ship

"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 head sea

First recorded in 1885–90

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.

See Examples For:

head sea

In fact, we ran for a time at 2300 rpm, making 27 mph straight into the head sea, and the ride was very comfortable.

From Time Magazine Archive

On rough water days a slower throttle setting provided a dry and more comfortable speed in a head sea.

From Time Magazine Archive

One dip into a head sea and I was hanging onto the grabrail in the companion seat and praying for my foul-weather gear.

From Time Magazine Archive

A following sea makes them under-rate, a head sea over-rate.

From Lectures in Navigation by Draper, Ernest Gallaudet

Started to pul out this morning at 5.30 A.M, useing forsed draught, making 14.5 knots, going to try and make it by 4 P.M, have a head wind and light head sea.

From The Voyage of the Oregon from San Francisco to Santiago in 1898 by Cross, R.

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