unreeve
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to unreeve a rope.
-
(of a rope) to become unreeved.
verb
Etymology
Origin of unreeve
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:
"The rope has swollen, sir, and the pendants won't unreeve," cried the middy in agony.
From A Simpleton by Reade, Charles
Jump down, all of you, and lend a hand and unreeve the halliards from the mast and bind her as tight as you can to the branches; pass the ropes under the thwarts.
From Captain Bayley's Heir: A Tale of the Gold Fields of California by Paget, H. M. (Henry Marriott)
“You can unreeve the tops’l halyards,” replied the captain, quietly.
From Saved by the Lifeboat by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)
To unreeve the running part of top-sail sheets, &c., to let them run freely, or for harbour duty.
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir
Do you, Walter, make a rope fast round the bits; unreeve the fore halliards, they will suit best, and are new and strong.
From Captain Mugford Our Salt and Fresh Water Tutors by Holloway, W. Herbert
Yet it pleased God to allay the fury of the storm, and we unreeved our sheets, tacks, halyards, and other ropes, and made fast our ship to the trees on shore, close by the rocks.
As the Forward began to be weather-worn, the masts were unreeved, for they could no longer rely on the variable wind, and the sails were nearly useless in the winding channels.
From The English at the North Pole Part I of the Adventures of Captain Hatteras by Verne, Jules
The very manner in which the yards were crossed told as plainly of abandonment as unreeved blocks and slackened rigging betokened a careless indifference of her future.
From Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast by Drake, Samuel Adams
In my next attempt I made sure of not coming by a similar accident, so I unreeved the tackling and fitted up larger blocks and ropes.
From The Coral Island A Tale of the Pacific Ocean by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)
Again and again the noose came back unreeved, and again and again the patient boy, with rare strength and skill, flung the ample noose over the slippery spires of ice.
From Adrift in the Ice-Fields by Hall, Charles W.
Then, I set them to work unreeving the gear and making things snug for setting up our jury-masts, of which this is the first—a downright seamanlike piece of work I call it.”
From The White Squall A Story of the Sargasso Sea by Schonberg, J.
Run your boat alongside of the capsized one's mast and strip its sail off, unfastening the throat and peak blocks, unreeving the sheet-rope, and cutting the lashings of the sail to the mast-hoops.
From Harper's Round Table, September 3, 1895 by Various
Also, the lug of the cascable is cut open to admit of the bight of the breeching falling into it, thus obviating the loss of time by unreeving.
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir
At last they could hold out no longer, and Harry, unreeving the rope, descended to the water and brought up a hatful.
From The Young Berringtons The Boy Explorers by Kingston, William Henry Giles
All this time, I was busily working, unreeving the port buntline.
From The Ghost Pirates by Hodgson, William Hope
We bent all our spare lines; we unrove sheets and halyards; we used our two-inch hawser; we fastened lines part way up the mast, half way up, and everywhere else.
From A Collection of Stories by London, Jack
Then Kitchell ordered the peak halyards unrove and used as lashings to tie the canvas around the corpse.
From Moran of the Lady Letty by Norris, Frank
The topgallant-masts and royal-masts had been sent down; the studding-sail-booms and gear unrove, to lighten the ship as much as possible of all top hamper.
From The South Sea Whaler by Groome, William H. C.
This coil is the main signal halliards, which I have unrove for the purpose—they are better than new, for they have been stretched and have had the kinks taken out of them.
From The Castaways by Dugdale, Thomas Cantrell
In steam vessels, topgallant masts and rigging ready to be sent down and all unnecessary gear unrove.
From Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy. 1866. Fourth edition. by United States. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ordnance
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.
