intransitive. Of a ship: To sail with the sheet let out. Obsolete.

To move or press close (to). transitive and intransitive. Nautical. To sail (a vessel) close to the wind, esp. too close. Cf. earlier pike, v.2 Also…

intransitive (with adverb complement). Of a ship: To make way with the sails flapping. (Cf. 5.)

to set the sails of a vessel in a ‘goose-wing’ fashion (see n. 2, esp. quot. 1867 at sense 2); in fore-and-aft rig, when running before the wind, to…