Meanings
nounhawse (plural hawses)
plural hawses
- nauticalThe part of the bow containing the hawseholes.
- nauticalThe horizontal distance or area between an anchored vessel's bows and the actual position of her anchor(s).
adjectivehawse (not comparable)
- not comparablenauticalIn a position relative to the course and position of a vessel, somewhat forward of the stem.
adverbhawse (not comparable)
- not comparablenauticalLying to two anchors, streamed from either bow.
verbhawse (third-person singular simple present hawses, present participle hawsing, simple past and past participle hawsed)
present singular third person hawses · participle present hawsing · participle past hawsed · past hawsed
- intransitivenauticalTo lie uneasily to an anchor, typically due to a weather tide.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishhalse
- Englishhawse
Alteration of Middle English halse, from Old Norse hals (“neck”) (compare Icelandic háls (“neck”)).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian клюз
- клюз (kljuz)A hawsehole
Finnish silmäke
- silmäkeA hawsehole
Turkish loça
- loçaA hawsehole
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with hawse
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
hawse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hawse
MLA
“hawse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hawse. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hawse,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hawse.
Source: hawse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.