Meaning

(nautical) The vertical edge of a sail that is closest to the direction of the wind..

Definitions by Sense

1. (nautical) The vertical edge of a sail that is closest to the direction of the wind.
2. (nautical) The act of sailing a ship close to the wind.
3. (nautical) The roundest part of a ship's bow.
4. (nautical) The forward or weather leech of a sail, especially of the jib, spanker, and other fore-and-aft sails.
5. (nautical, of a sail, intransitive) To shake due to being trimmed improperly.
6. (nautical, of sailing vessels, intransitive) To bring the ship's head up closer to the wind. (Alternatively luff up)
7. (nautical, transitive) to let out (a sail) so that it luffs.
8. (mechanical) To alter the vertical angle of the jib of a crane so as to bring it level with the load.

Example Sentences

By easing the halyard, the luff of the sail was made to sag to leeward.

"The man at the helm was watching the luff of the sail and whistling away gently to himself."

I thought how my life is like a little boat and I must hold the tiller steady against the buffeting of wind and waves, and how sometimes, like this morning, I lose my hold somehow and the sail luffs helplessly and the little vessel wallows, turning this way and that in the swell.

"Helm there! Luff, luff a point! So; steady, man, steady!"

The tower is mounted on a slewing platform, which also carries the power plant and the counterweights, while the jib is supported and luffed by fixed pendant ropes.

Word Forms

• luffs
• luffing
• luffed

Synonyms for luff

Related Words

When Should You Use Luff?

Use luff when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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