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stern sheets

plural noun Nautical.
  1. the after part of an open boat, occupied by the person in command or by passengers.
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Origin of stern sheets

First recorded in 1475–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for stern sheets

Historical Examples of stern sheets

  • I made a grab at the gunwale, and caught it in the stern-sheets.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • I asked him to crawl aft, out of the water; which he did, lying down in the stern-sheets.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • "Let's take the things out of the stern-sheets, anyhow," urged Tom.

  • Dominic, with his arm round my shoulders, supported me in the stern-sheets.

  • He did so, and the officer dropped into the stern-sheets so as to face his prisoner.

    The Harbor of Doubt

    Frank Williams

British Dictionary definitions for stern sheets

stern sheets

pl n
  1. nautical the part of an open boat near the stern
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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