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tiller

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The handle of the rudder which the helmsman holds to steer the boat.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

tiler

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈtɪlɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. nautical

    The handle of the rudder which the helmsman holds to steer the boat, a piece of wood or metal extending forward from the rudder over or through the transom. Generally attached at the top of the rudder.

  2. nautical

    A bar of iron or wood connected with the rudderhead and leadline, usually forward, in which the rudder is moved as desired by the tiller (FM 55-501).

  3. nautical

    A handle; a stalk.

  4. nautical

    Lever used to turn the rudder on a boat

  5. A machine that mechanically tills the soil.

  6. Someone who tills land (prepares the soil for the planting of crops)

verb

  1. intransitive

    To produce new shoots from the root or from around the bottom of the original stalk; stool.

Word at a Glance

Frequency
Uncommon

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

power tillertiller numberactual tillertiller programtiller productiongeorge tillerterence tiller

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • tillnounBase word

    Unstratified soil deposited by a glacier.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to produce new shoots from the root

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.