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Synonyms

astern

American  
[uh-sturn] / əˈstɜrn /

adverb

  1. in a position behind a specified vessel or aircraft.

    The cutter was following close astern.

  2. in a backward direction.

    The steamer went astern at half speed.
astern British  
/ əˈstɜːn /

adverb

  1. at or towards the stern

  2. with the stern first

    full speed astern!

  3. aft of the stern of a vessel

"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

Etymology

Origin of astern

First recorded in 1620–30; a- 1 + stern 2

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.