How to Use rudder in a Sentence

rudder

noun
Definition of ruddernext
  • The keel and rudder of the Lucky Duck looked naked in the dirt.
    — Linda Robertson, miamiherald, 13 Sep. 2017
  • The rudder was battered, and the trio had to be towed to shore in Spain.
    — Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2023
  • The periscope swings aft and focuses on the top of the rudder.
    — Jim Wilson, Popular Mechanics, 1 Dec. 2020
  • Last week, a group of killer whales broke the rudder and pierced the hull of a sailboat in the area.
    — Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 25 May 2023
  • And their central banks have a stronger hand on the rudder.
    — Carla Fried, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2017
  • Back on deck, Thom explained how the rudder steered the boat and gave each kid a turn.
    — Rachel Walker, The Know, 13 Aug. 2019
  • The pilot told me when to give her right or left rudder.
    — Wallace Cloud, Popular Mechanics, 25 Feb. 2021
  • This will act as a rudder in the air, keeping the lure from spinning.
    — David A. Rose, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2024
  • Their tails are ringed, with a white tuft at the tip, and act as a rudder as a cheetah runs.
    — Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023
  • One last time, Wedge stamped on the rudder pedals, pushed and then pulled the throttle, and tugged on the stick.
    — Elliot Ackerman, Wired, 26 Jan. 2021
  • The one-ton, barn-door-sized tail fin and rudders were simply gone.
    — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 1 Aug. 2017
  • The short, stout tail works like a rudder; the back feet are partially webbed.
    — Abigail Tucker, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Dec. 2022
  • The killer whales are also seen nudging the boat's rudders.
    — Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 23 June 2023
  • What if storytelling is how our species strips the rudder from the boat?
    — Madeline Ashby, WIRED, 17 July 2023
  • How can a snow leopard’s tail act as both rudder and nose warmer?
    — Eve Conant, National Geographic, 18 Dec. 2020
  • Had a cover been in place, the extreme pressure change on JAL 123 may not have blown the rudder to bits.
    — Andrew Zaleski, Popular Mechanics, 22 June 2023
  • How, without rudder or wing, to steer, To get hold of this floating grave.
    — Osip Mandelstam, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2022
  • Without a coxswain, Luczak steers the four from the stroke seat with a rudder cable attached to her right foot.
    — Olivia Reiner, USA TODAY, 24 July 2021
  • According to Stars and Stripes, pieces of the plane’s left and right rudders were found two hours later.
    — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 10 May 2019
  • Tweaking the rudder on your plane—by folding it slightly to the left or right—will affect the yaw.
    — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 13 July 2023
  • In a May 4 incident in the Strait of Gibraltar, a group of three orcas pierced the rudder of a sailboat.
    — Laura Barcella, Peoplemag, 25 May 2023
  • In 2003, the rudder of the USS Connecticut was chewed by a polar bear while it was surfaced.
    — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 5 Apr. 2018
  • The propeller and rudder that were removed from the ship will be donated to the state.
    — Nedra Rhone, ajc, 23 Dec. 2019
  • The crew of that ship had to abandon the boat after a group of orcas slammed into the rudder for a whole 45 minutes.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 May 2024
  • Keep a steady hand on the rudder because there could be tensions and squabbles.
    — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 21 Dec. 2020
  • Then the shape becomes clearer: the curve of the oak ribs and planks of a ship’s side, iron bolts, the keel and what must have been the stern, the broken rudder, sheathed in copper.
    — Carl Nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Mar. 2023
  • The spin on the ball produces a wake of airstream behind the ball that creates movement, much like the rudder on an airplane.
    — New York Times, 12 June 2021
  • The booms were already aflame, the fabric sloughing off, the rudder nearly burned through.
    — James Joseph, Popular Mechanics, 31 Dec. 2020
  • Joe Biden deserves some credit for helping turn the rudder.
    — Umair Irfan, Vox, 23 July 2024
  • The backup rudder system was tested and no issues were found, according to the NTSB.
    — Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 10 July 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rudder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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