English Explanatory Dictionary

back and fill

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To manage a sailing ship so that the wind strikes them alternately in front and behind, in order to keep the ship in the middle of a river or channel while the current or tide carries the vessel against the wind.
  2. To zigzag, or make a pivot turn by alternately putting the engine in reverse and forward, while turning the wheel or tiller.
  3. To take opposite positions alternately; to flip-flop

Word forms

back and fill backs and fills backing and filling backed and filled
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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