Question 1

What does "heave to" mean?

Accepted Answer

(nautical) To bring a sailing vessel almost to a standstill by setting the sails against each other, used in bad weather or to wait.

Question 2

How do you use "heave to" in a sentence?

Accepted Answer

As the storm worsened, the captain ordered the crew to heave to and wait for conditions to improve.

Question 3

Is "heave to" formal or informal?

Accepted Answer

"heave to" is formal — used mainly in written or official contexts. A specialised nautical term. Used both as a command ('heave to!') and as a description ('the ship hove to'). The past tense is 'hove to.' Occasionally used figuratively in literary contexts to mean stopping or pausing, but this is rare. Not used in everyday non-sailing contexts.

heave to

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