anchor
95
2.7
- noun
- /ˈæŋkər/
:
ancla
- The French fleet remains at anchor in Abu Kir Bay.
- drop anchor
- weigh anchor
- ship anchor
As long as we survive through the night and the anchor holds, that's the biggest thing.
- As long as we survive through the night and the anchor holds, that's the biggest thing.
- Threw them overboard where they drowned to death, attached to the anchor of their own boat.
Examples
-
He checked to ensure the anchor was secure before leaving the vessel.
-
After a day's sailing, they decided to drop the anchor and rest for the night.
-
So that just means that the anchor is in the water, right?
-
A sea anchor is used as a drag to keep the boat's head to the wind.
-
We could set her at anchor... and come back later with two or three tugs.
-
Why don't we drop anchor, stop us drifting any further?
-
Jumping out, they act as anchors for their canoe in the shallow water.
Academic text (1993) -
Hilary, Dick, and Connie struggled with the anchor, the rope, and the winch for twenty minutes.
Fiction book (1990) -
The fisherman dropped the anchor to keep the boat from drifting away.
Synonyms
4
5.0
A rope or chain that holds a boat in place
1
9.5
A small hook with several points on a rope used to hold or pull things
A small metal tool with several hooks that holds a small boat on rocky or weedy sea bottom
A heavy metal device with a bowl-shaped head that digs into soft sea floor to hold boats
A heavy object that holds a buoy or marker on the bottom of the water
A spare anchor kept on a ship for use in an emergency
A spare heavy object used to hold a ship during an emergency
Compounds
1
3.4
A heavy chain or strong rope that connects a boat to the metal piece that holds it in place
- Specialized
1
6.5
A heavy cloth pulled behind a boat to slow drift and keep the front facing the wind
- Specialized
A heavy object that holds a buoy or marker on the bottom of the water
- Specialized
A heavy metal device with a bowl-shaped head that digs into soft sea floor to hold boats
- Specialized
A small metal tool with several hooks that holds a small boat on rocky or weedy sea bottom
How Heavy
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word anchor comes from an old Greek word ankura meaning 'hook', so an anchor is like a heavy hook that holds a ship to the sea bottom.