at anchor

IPA/at ˈaŋkə/
IPA/æɾ ˈæŋkɚ/

at anchor — idiom

1. if a boat or ship is at anchor, it is floating in one place because its anchor h

1.idiomB2
Definition

if a boat or ship is at anchor, it is floating in one place because its anchor has been dropped to the seabed to stop it drifting away.

Example

Three fishing boats sat at anchor in the calm harbour all morning.

lie/sit at anchor for a boat held in place

The cargo ship lay at anchor for two days while Lakshmi inspected the engine.

Common collocations
  • lie at anchor
  • ride at anchor
  • sit at anchor
  • ships at anchor
Synonyms
  • anchored

    single adjective; 'at anchor' stresses the resting state in the water

  • moored

    held by ropes to a dock or buoy, not by a dropped anchor

Antonyms
  • under way

    the vessel is moving through the water

  • adrift

    floating with no anchor, carried by wind or current

Grammar Patterns

[boat] + lie/sit/ride + at anchor

Usage Note

Subject is almost always a boat, ship, or other vessel. Commonly follows the verbs lie, sit, ride, or stay, and contrasts with a boat that is moving or tied to a dock.

Common Mistakes

The boat was on anchor in the bay.
The boat was at anchor in the bay.
the fixed phrase uses 'at', not 'on'.

Etymology

GreekLatinOld EnglishEnglish

Built from the preposition 'at', marking a state or condition, and 'anchor', a heavy object dropped to hold a boat in place. The noun 'anchor' came into English from Latin 'ancora', itself borrowed from Greek 'ankura'. The phrase names the settled condition of a vessel once its anchor has taken hold.

First known use

1565

1565, in the meaning defined above