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Glite Dictionary
to wear round

to wear round

9.9
To turn the front of a boat away from the wind so it blows from the other side
  • phrasal verb
  • Specialized
translation icon : virar
  • The yacht had to wear round to avoid the oncoming storm.

Examples

  • As the wind shifted, the captain ordered the crew to wear round and change direction.

  • She learned how to wear round quickly during her sailing lessons.

  • The captain decided to wear round the buoy.

  • They wore round the island to avoid the storm.

  • As the wind shifted, the captain ordered the crew to wear round and let the sail catch the breeze from the other side.

  • The yacht had to wear round quickly to maintain speed as it adjusted to the changing winds.

  • To safely navigate the harbor, the sailor learned to wear round at the right moment.

Synonyms

to wear ship
vsto wear round
  • Specialized
9.9

Turn a sailing boat away from the wind by moving the back through the wind, not the front

omits that the stern is moved through the wind

Surface Forms

wear round infinitive
wore round past
worn round past participle
wearing round present participle
wears round third person singular

Morphology

wear + round

The intended sense is a specialist nautical verb (to bring a vessel around away from the wind), which is not the ordinary meaning of 'wear' that a B1 learner would know (e.g., put on clothing). Although 'round' suggests movement, that alone does not yield the technical maneuver; the combined meaning is therefore not predictable without prior exposure or domain knowledge.

Etymology

Wear round comes from old sailors. To wear is to turn a boat so the wind moves to the other side, literally turning the ship round, so the phrase means 'to turn the boat so the wind is on the other side'.