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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Spithead

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

It's a question that troubles the former First Sea Lord, Lord West of Spithead, who has spent months trying to find out if the UK has a back-up plan.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 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

One may catch a local cruise boat next day to go to the Royal Naval Review at Spithead.

From Time Magazine Archive

At Spithead the flotilla separated, Sir John Hacket's two ships making for Portsmouth Harbour, three heading for Southampton, and the remaining two setting a course down the Solent for Lepe and Lymington respectively.

From The Winning of the Golden Spurs by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman

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