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Glite Dictionary
to drop anchor

to drop anchor

5 3.3
To lower an anchor to hold a boat in one place
  • phrasal verb
  • /drɑp ˈæŋkər/
translation icon : echar ancla
  • Darland's boat just dropped anchor very close to shore.
  • ship dropped anchor
  • dropped anchor in a cove
  • dropped anchor in the harbor

Examples

  • Do not drop anchor here, understand?

    Girl, Interrupted (1999)

  • The captain dropped anchor in a cove at Unanigin Island.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • - Prepare to drop anchor out here.

    The Sand Pebbles (1966)

  • Drop anchor and wait to dock.

    Transporter 3 (2008)

  • An hour later, Debbie watches Mike drop anchor.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • We're going to this inlet and drop anchor for the night.

    Limbo (1999)

  • After the ship dropped anchor, I saw three men standing at the rail, waving.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Why don't we drop anchor, stop us drifting any further?

    Last Breath (2025)

  • We dropped anchor, boarded a zodiac, and followed the bear down the beach.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The captain decided to drop anchor to keep the ship steady during the storm.

Synonyms

to tie up
vsto drop anchor
74 2.2

Fasten something with rope so it cannot move

involves dropping a device from a vessel rather than tying with rope
to anchor
vsto drop anchor
51 3.4

To hold something in place so it does not move

is specifically about lowering a device from a vessel to stop it
to moor
vsto drop anchor
  • Specialized
11 5.1

To tie a boat so it does not move

focuses on lowering a heavy device from a vessel rather than using ropes
to cast anchor
vsto drop anchor
1 3.1

To lower an anchor from a boat or ship to hold it in place

is the same action but uses the other familiar phrasing

Surface Forms

drop anchor infinitive
dropped anchor past
dropped anchor past participle
dropping anchor present participle
drops anchor third person singular

Morphology

drop + anchor

The meaning 'to lower an anchor ... to stop' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'drop' (to let fall) with 'anchor' (a heavy device used to moor a vessel), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE. This is a literal, compositional motion verb + object construction that is common cross-linguistically and therefore easily predictable.

Etymology

Drop anchor comes from sailors putting a heavy anchor into the water; they drop it so the boat stays in one place. That's why it means 'to stop' or 'to stay somewhere'.