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helm

helm

52 6.2
The wheel or bar used to steer a ship
  • noun
  • /hɛlm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : timón
  • The helm was firm, and the ship held to its course.

Examples

  • Forrest stands at the helm as the boat glides across the water.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • I stood at the helm, gripped the steering wheel, and I was frightened.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • So I took the stick and, for the next few minutes, I was at the helm.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Preliminary reports indicated the ship 's captain was drunk at the helm.

  • Not until just offshore did I realize my father stood at the Mako's helm.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Greer looks on from the helm as Murphy, Dodge, and Epps stand over the map table.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • As he swabs it carefully, Leila is at the helm, keeping the speeding, bouncing boat on course.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Narrator E: The men grumble as Columbus stands at the helm (ship's steering wheel) in a scarlet cape.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The sailor gripped the helm tightly as the storm approached the ship.

  • She adjusted the helm to change the course of the vessel during the rough seas.

Synonyms

steering
vshelm
152 1.8

To guide where a vehicle, ship, or group goes

refers to the physical device used on a vessel not the act of guiding
62 1.5

A round wheel in a car or bus that the driver turns to change direction

is the vessel steering mechanism as a whole not only the wheel
tiller
vshelm
  • Specialized
4 7.0

A long handle attached to a boat's rudder used for steering

is the overall vessel steering mechanism rather than a single handle
steering system
vshelm
  • Formal
1 3.9

A set of parts that let a driver turn and guide a vehicle

is the vessel steering device rather than a general vehicle system
steering mechanism
vshelm
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A group of parts that controls the direction of a vehicle like a car or bicycle

is specific to vessels rather than general vehicle systems
steering gear
vshelm
  • Specialized
4.0

A car part that moves the front wheels when the driver turns the wheel

is the vessel steering mechanism itself not just the connecting device in cars

Idioms

39 4.2

In charge of a group or organization

To lead an organization, group, or project

Surface Forms

helm singular
helms plural

Etymology

Helm comes from the same root as helmet, originally meaning a 'cover' or 'protection', and later it was used for the part of a ship used to steer. Picture the ship's steering as the place that keeps the ship safe and points the way. So helm now means the steering mechanism used to guide a vessel.