Spithead

American

[spit-hed] / ˈspɪtˈhɛd /

noun

a roadstead off the S coast of England between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

Spithead British

/ ˌspɪtˈhɛd /

noun

an extensive anchorage between the mainland of England and the Isle of Wight, off Portsmouth

"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

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Lord West of Spithead, who served as First Sea Lord, has also raised concerns about the Cobham-Ultra deal and a similar one involving British defence supplier Meggitt.

From BBC • Aug. 16, 2021

Former head of the navy and Labour peer Lord West of Spithead would also like to see it make a comeback.

From BBC • Sep. 26, 2016

Admiral Lord West of Spithead, the security minister, stayed in office throughout Mr Brown's time in Downing Street.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2011

Last week sturdy Squire Baldwin, whose hobby is breeding prize pigs, was the only prominent member of His Majesty's Government who did not take time out to attend the Spithead sea pageant.

From Time Magazine Archive

The British fleet, under Lord Bridport, was wintering at Spithead; and before it could put to sea the French had slipped past.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 5 English History by Various

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