answer the helm

verb

To respond to a movement of the helm by changing direction; only happens if the ship has steerageway.

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Meanings

verbanswer the helm (third-person singular simple present answers the helm, present participle answering the helm, simple past and past participle answered the helm)

present singular third person answers the helm · participle present answering the helm · participle past answered the helm · past answered the helm

  1. intransitivenauticalTo respond to a movement of the helm by changing direction; only happens if the ship has steerageway.
Cite this entry
APA

answer the helm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/answer%20the%20helm

MLA

“answer the helm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/answer%20the%20helm. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “answer the helm,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/answer%20the%20helm.

Source: answer the helm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.