How to Use rudder in a Sentence

rudder

noun
  • Does that erode stick-and-rudder skills?
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025
  • How can a snow leopard’s tail act as both rudder and nose warmer?
    — Eve Conant, National Geographic, 18 Dec. 2020
  • The one-ton, barn-door-sized tail fin and rudders were simply gone.
    — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 1 Aug. 2017
  • The keel and rudder of the Lucky Duck looked naked in the dirt.
    — Linda Robertson, miamiherald, 13 Sep. 2017
  • The periscope swings aft and focuses on the top of the rudder.
    — Jim Wilson, Popular Mechanics, 1 Dec. 2020
  • This will act as a rudder in the air, keeping the lure from spinning.
    — David A. Rose, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2024
  • What if storytelling is how our species strips the rudder from the boat?
    — Madeline Ashby, WIRED, 17 July 2023
  • 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
  • The rudder was battered, and the trio had to be towed to shore in Spain.
    — Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2023
  • 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
  • The short, stout tail works like a rudder; the back feet are partially webbed.
    — Abigail Tucker, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Dec. 2022
  • To turn the rudder, six cadets must man three massive wheels made of wood and copper.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Back on deck, Thom explained how the rudder steered the boat and gave each kid a turn.
    — Rachel Walker, The Know, 13 Aug. 2019
  • Weigand used his forestick, top rudder and speed brakes, trying to keep his plane’s nose up.
    — Carl Prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, 21 Sep. 2017
  • Keep a steady hand on the rudder because there could be tensions and squabbles.
    — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 21 Dec. 2020
  • How, without rudder or wing, to steer, To get hold of this floating grave.
    — Osip Mandelstam, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2022
  • The Scriptures liken the tongue to the rudder of a ship - a tiny thing that can steer a giant boat.
    — William Vanderbloemen, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
  • Anglers can use a rudder for hands-free steering or a paddle to control the boat.
    — Field & Stream, 19 Mar. 2021
  • But after only a few minutes in the water, the boat’s rudder snapped.
    — Eric Adler, kansascity.com, 10 June 2017
  • After one day on the water, however, the rudder line of his board snapped and he was set adrift.
    — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 10 Mar. 2017
  • There are also afts called skegs and rudders which prevent the seaplane from tipping over in the ocean.
    — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 22 Sep. 2017
  • 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
  • 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 booms were already aflame, the fabric sloughing off, the rudder nearly burned through.
    — James Joseph, Popular Mechanics, 31 Dec. 2020
  • The propeller and rudder that were removed from the ship will be donated to the state.
    — Nedra Rhone, ajc, 23 Dec. 2019
  • 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
  • The rocks, some the size of marbles and others as big as basketballs, bumped against their boat and clogged their rudders.
    — Author: Katie Mettler, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Aug. 2019
  • Just like regular sailboats, ice boats are wind-powered and steered using a rudder and sail.
    — Francesca Krempa, AFAR Media, 27 Jan. 2026
  • In naval terms, the captain finally stopped touching the rudder, and the ship started to move.
    — Yuval Kadmon, Forbes.com, 19 Feb. 2026
  • After ramming it a few times, a piece of the rudder broke off, and that was even more fun because there was something to play with.
    — Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025

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.

Last Updated: