What does "steerageway" mean?

The minimum speed of a ship, below which it does not answer the helm and cannot be steered.

What is a synonym for "steerageway"?

Common synonyms include: headway, leeway, progress, sternway, way.

How do you pronounce "steerageway"?

Pronounced //ˈstɪə.ɹɪd͡ʒˌweɪ//.

Steerageway

//ˈstɪə.ɹɪd͡ʒˌweɪ// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
The minimum speed of a ship, below which it does not answer the helm and cannot be steered. countable, uncountable
"The latter made one tremendous spurt, then gave up in despair and hauled in his oars. French Pete let go the main-sheet, lost steerageway as he rounded up alongside the motionless skiff, and dragged Joe out."
2
(nautical) the minimum rate of motion needed for a vessel to be maneuvered wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

headway leeway progress sternway way

Example

More examples

"The latter made one tremendous spurt, then gave up in despair and hauled in his oars. French Pete let go the main-sheet, lost steerageway as he rounded up alongside the motionless skiff, and dragged Joe out."

Etymology

From steerage + way.

Related phrases

answer helm

More for "steerageway"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

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