He had been steering by the feel of the wind on his face and the luff of the trysail. Her head was tilted up, checking the luff of the mainsail, and she didn't notice him. They are attached to spars and …

The meaning of LUFF is the act of sailing a ship nearer the wind.

luff (lʌf) n (Nautical Terms) nautical the leading edge of a fore-and-aft sail n

May 16, 2025 · luff (plural luffs) (nautical) The vertical edge of a sail that is closest to the direction of the wind. quotations

LUFF definition: the forward edge of a fore-and-aft sail. See examples of luff used in a sentence.

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Nautical, Naval Terms (of a sail) to shake from being set too close to the wind: The sail luffed as we put about for port. Nautical, Naval Terms to raise or lower the outer end of the boom of a crane or derrick …

There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun luff, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Examples of how to use “luff” in a sentence from Cambridge Dictionary.