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Showing results for tiller. Search instead for tillers.
Synonyms

tiller

1 American  
[til-er] / ˈtɪl ər /

noun

  1. a person who tills; farmer.

  2. a person or thing that tills; cultivator.

tiller 2 American  
[til-er] / ˈtɪl ər /

noun

Nautical.

  1. a bar or lever fitted to the head of a rudder, for turning the rudder in steering.

tiller 3 American  
[til-er] / ˈtɪl ər /

noun

  1. a plant shoot that springs from the root or bottom of the original stalk.

  2. a sapling.

verb (used without object)

  1. (of a plant) to put forth new shoots from the root or around the bottom of the original stalk.

tiller 1 British  
/ ˈtɪlə /

noun

  1. a shoot that arises from the base of the stem in grasses

  2. a less common name for sapling

"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

verb

  1. (intr) (of a plant) to produce tillers

"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
tiller 2 British  
/ ˈtɪlə /

noun

  1. nautical a handle fixed to the top of a rudderpost to serve as a lever in steering it

"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

Other Word Forms

  • tillerless adjective

Etymology

Origin of tiller1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tiller(e), tiliere; till 2, -er 1

Origin of tiller2

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English teler, telor, tiler(e) “the stock of a crossbow or firearm; tiller (for a boat),” from Old French telier, teiler “weaver's beam,” from Medieval Latin tēlārium, equivalent to Latin tēl(a) “cloth being woven on a loom; loom; plan, design” + -ārium -ary

Origin of tiller3

First recorded before 1000; Old English telgor, tealgor “twig, shoot,” (not recorded in Middle English ); akin to Old English telga “branch, bough,” Old Norse tjalga “twig, branch,” Dutch telg

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 particular, the rear-axle steering—standard equipment on the Turbo S—puts a huge tiller in the water, giving the Turbo S an easy, trust-building precision as the cornering loads build.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

"In face of setbacks, it requires a steady hand on the tiller and the vision to see the bigger picture", says Dr Barber, saying that knee-jerk responses to failures could "cause damage and delay".

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2025

It would have worked if supply and demand were holding the tiller.

From Salon • May 28, 2024

The action of the tiller is like the action of the potter’s wheel.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2022

The skiff was sailing well considering the handicaps and he steered with the tiller under his arm.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

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.