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pitchpole

American  
[pich-pohl] / ˈpɪtʃˌpoʊl /

verb (used without object)

pitchpoled, pitchpoling

  1. (of a boat) to capsize end over end, as in heavy surf.

Etymology

Origin of pitchpole

1655–65; pitch 1 + pole, alteration of poll 1

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.

In certain manoeuvres, the downwind hull can get buried in the water, causing the yacht to "pitchpole" or flip end-over-end.

From BBC

Exactly what happened to the fishing boat is not known, though the 100-ft. waves of what was called the Halloween Gale were more than enough to capsize such a boat or to pitchpole it end for end.

From Time Magazine Archive

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.