What does "luff" mean?
The vertical edge of a sail that is closest to the direction of the wind.
Luff
/lʌf/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The vertical edge of a sail that is closest to the direction of the wind.
- Grammar: luff is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: beat, canvas, cloth, cringle.
- Useful contrasts: bear away, fall off, jib.
- Usage evidence: By easing the halyard, the luff of the sail was made to sag to leeward.
How to use "luff"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "luff" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "luff" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "luff" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "luff" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "luff" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "beat" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "luff", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The vertical edge of a sail that is closest to the direction of the wind.
"By easing the halyard, the luff of the sail was made to sag to leeward."
- 2 the act of sailing close to the wind wordnet
- 3 The act of sailing a ship close to the wind.
- 4 (nautical) the forward edge of a fore-and-aft sail that is next to the mast wordnet
- 5 The roundest part of a ship's bow.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The forward or weather leech of a sail, especially of the jib, spanker, and other fore-and-aft sails.
Verb
- 1 To shake due to being trimmed improperly. intransitive
"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."
- 2 flap when the wind is blowing equally on both sides wordnet
- 3 To bring the ship's head up closer to the wind. (Alternatively luff up) intransitive
""Helm there! Luff, luff a point! So; steady, man, steady!""
- 4 sail close to the wind wordnet
- 5 to let out (a sail) so that it luffs. transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To alter the vertical angle of the jib of a crane so as to bring it level with the load.
"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."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"By easing the halyard, the luff of the sail was made to sag to leeward."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "luff"?
Common synonyms include: beat, canvas, cloth, cringle, foot, foreedge.
How do you use "luff" in a sentence?
By easing the halyard, the luff of the sail was made to sag to leeward.
How do you pronounce "luff"?
Pronounced /lʌf/.
Etymology
From Old French lof. Collins English Dictionary states that this word is ultimately derived from Middle Dutch loef. Ellert Ekwall's Shakspere's Vocabulary: its etymological elements (1903) related this verb and loof instead to the East Frisian verb lofen, lufen, which would make it cognate to the French term lover.