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about ship

1 American  

interjection

  1. (as a command) put the ship about.


about-ship 2 American  
[uh-bout-ship] / əˌbaʊtˈʃɪp /

verb (used without object)

about-shipped, about-shipping
  1. Nautical. to tack.


about-ship British  

verb

  1. (intr) nautical to manoeuvre a vessel onto a new tack

"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 about ship1

First recorded in 1865–70

Origin of about-ship2

First recorded in 1680–90

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.

While the incident will undoubtedly raise larger questions about ship and port safety protocols, so far there is no indication the pilots on the Dali did anything wrong given the immediate situation they faced.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 28, 2024

A Pentagon official said U.S. diplomats in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, had been in touch with counterparts in the government there about ship visit procedures and requisite clearances.

From New York Times • Aug. 30, 2022

But they also raise basic questions about ship leadership.

From Washington Times • Aug. 23, 2017

Court papers portray Francis as a master manipulator who persuaded Navy officials to feed him classified information about ship movements and confidential contract information that he used to undercut his competitors.

From Washington Post • Mar. 14, 2017

The boys had not yet made their offing, they were still on the full stretch going the one way, when I had already gone about ship and was sheering off the other.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 17 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis