Definition of close-hauled in English:

adjective & adverb

• (of a ship) with the sails hauled aft to sail close to the wind.

  More example sentences

  • ‘On the water, however, sailing close-hauled may feel faster, primarily because the boat is heeling over, but you move more quickly in the upright position, running before the wind.’
  • ‘Sailing in nearly the opposite direction, that is, tacking close-hauled into this headwind, is a French ship.’
  • ‘The third race proved the most exciting with some contestants taking a close-hauled course to the windward mark and others taking the faster, but longer, broader course.’