weighing anchor
Preparing to sail
Weighing anchor is the act of raising a ship's anchor from the seabed in preparation for departure.
The phrase appears in nautical contexts and historical fiction: The captain gave orders for weighing anchor at dawn.
Figuratively, it means preparing to leave or set off on a journey.
- departureAct of going away
- embarkationBeginning a voyage
- bon voyageTraveler's send-off phrase
- adventureRisky exciting undertaking
- freedomAbsence of constraint
hoist · all hands · casting off · transition · vessel · setting sail · windlass · navigation · release · chain · journey · exploration · cable · movement · change · winch · harbor · tide
- setting sailsetting sail, casting off, putting to sea, undocking, embarking
- boating maneuverstacking, jibing, coming about, docking, mooring
metaphorical commitment
weighing anchorsettling down
Becoming stable and rooted
digging in · committing · staying put · nesting · taking root
weigh, weight, anchor, anchors, anchored, anchoring, anchorage, weighed, weighs