Astern

//əˈstɝn// adj, adv

adj, adv ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Behind a vessel; having a bearing of 180 degrees from ahead. not-comparable

    "If one ship is following another, the first is astern of the second."

Adverb
  1. 1
    Behind (a vessel); in the rear.

    "After we had row'd, or rather driven about a League and a Half, as we reckon'd it, a raging Wave, Mountain-like, came rowling a-stern of us, and plainly bad us expect the Coup-de-Grace."

  2. 2
    In the direction of the stern; backward (motion); to the rear.
  3. 3
    At or toward the rear of a vessel. obsolete, rare
Adverb
  1. 1
    (of a ship or an airplane) behind wordnet
  2. 2
    at or near or toward the stern of a ship or tail of an airplane wordnet
  3. 3
    stern foremost or backward wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
abafta reboursa reculonsabaftaftaft

Antonyms

All antonyms
ahead

Example

More examples

"While up the crag AEneas climbs, to gain / full prospect far and wide, and scan the distant main. / If aught of Phrygian biremes he discern / Antheus or Capys, tost upon the seas, / or arms of brave Caicus high astern."

Etymology

From a- (“towards”) + stern (“rear part of a vessel”).

Related phrases

astern ofdrop astern

More for "astern"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.