rudder
Americannoun
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rudders
plural
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Nautical. a vertical blade at the stern of a vessel that can be turned horizontally to change the vessel's direction when in motion.
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Aeronautics. a movable control surface attached to a vertical stabilizer, located at the rear of an airplane and used, along with the ailerons, to turn the airplane.
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any means of or device for governing, directing, or guiding a course, as a leader or principle.
His ideas provided a rudder for the new company.
noun
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nautical a pivoted vertical vane that projects into the water at the stern of a vessel and can be controlled by a tiller, wheel, or other apparatus to steer the vessel
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a vertical control surface attached to the rear of the fin used to steer an aircraft, in conjunction with the ailerons
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anything that guides or directs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of rudder
First recorded before 900; Middle English rodder, rother, ruder, Old English rōther; cognate with Old Frisian rōther, Middle Dutch rōder ( Dutch roer ), Old High German ruodar ( German Ruder ); akin to row 2
Explanation
A rudder is an important part of a ship, boat, or airplane's steering system. If your rudder is out of whack, you may end up somewhere that you don't want to be! A ship's rudder is a flat sheet attached to the stern (or back), that moves back and forth as the captain steers. It works by directing the water to move past the ship in a certain way, pushing the front of the vessel to the right or left. On an airplane, the rudder works the same way, but by directing the flow of air instead, so the plane turns to the left or right. The word rudder comes from the Old English roðor, "paddle or oar," from a Germanic root meaning "tool for steering."
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:
There’s no doubt that as AI develops it will need an ethical rudder, and the pope’s contributions are worth listening to.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
After nearly six months, the crew finally managed to float the ship back - but the accident had left its rudder damaged, making it unfit to sail.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2025
I’ve got rudder pedals on the floor and all these controls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025
Mangione’s Twitter/X account is a kaleidoscopic fever dream with no clear ideological rudder.
From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2024
He releases the rudder, slumps against the sagging sides.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
They have also been developing stronger actuators—machines that pull and push and take the place of pilots’ muscles to move planes’ rudders and other flight-control surfaces in conditions where humans would otherwise have to intervene.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
“It's pretty powerful and kind of metaphorical that you see these orcas going after rudders and sort of disabling the technology that human beings use to control marine space.”
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2024
Back in May, the stories from off the Iberian Peninsula of orcas taking apart the rudders and propellers of yachts — and, in a couple of incidents, ramming them — were both alarming and intriguing.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 28, 2023
He said the orcas, also known as killer whales, appeared to be playing a "game" focused on the boats' rudders - part of the moveable steering apparatus that sits in the water.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2023
The only way Father could control both the rear rudders and the curving of the wings was with a kind of hip cradle.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
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.
