What does aweigh mean?
Aweigh is a specialized nautical adjective describing an anchor that is hanging free of the seabed, either because it has just been raised or because it is being lowered. In practical use, the word appears almost exclusively in the celebrated phrase "anchors aweigh," which signals that a vessel's anchor no longer touches the bottom and the ship is free to move. The term belongs firmly to the language of the sea: sailors have long used precise vocabulary to describe every stage of anchoring, and "aweigh" captures the critical instant when the anchor breaks loose from the ground. Beyond its working function, the phrase gained lasting fame through "Anchors Aweigh," the march adopted by the United States Navy, which carried the word into popular culture. Though rare in everyday speech, aweigh remains a vivid emblem of seamanship and departure, evoking ships slipping their moorings and setting out across open water.
adjective(Of an anchor) hanging clear of the bottom and no longer holding the ship, especially when being raised or lowered.
- (Of an anchor) raised off the seabed so that it no longer holds the vessel — used almost exclusively with anchors, as in 'anchors aweigh'
"The captain gave the order "anchors aweigh!" as the destroyer slipped out of the harbor at dawn."
"At first light the crew hauled up the anchor until it was aweigh, and the schooner drifted free of the cove."
"The signal flag went up: anchors aweigh, all hands on deck."
Every time you hear "Anchors Aweigh" — the rousing US Navy fight song — you're hearing this single nautical adjective put to music.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aweigh
Aweigh derives from the Old English verb wegan, meaning to weigh or lift, combined with the prefix a- (from Old English on/an), giving the sense of "in the process of weighing" — literally, an anchor in the act of being weighed or lifted from the sea floor. It shares its root with ordinary "weigh," "weight," and related words tracing back through Old English to Germanic origins. The word developed within British maritime vocabulary and was later adopted widely, particularly through American naval tradition.
How aweigh is actually used
Strictly a nautical term, used almost exclusively in the fixed expression "anchors aweigh." It is rare outside maritime contexts and carries a formal, traditional flavor. Note that it refers specifically to the moment the anchor is lifted clear of (or being lifted from) the seabed, not merely to a ship's departure.
Easily confused with aweigh
"Aweigh" describes a raised anchor in nautical use, while "away" is the ordinary word for being distant or departed.