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keelhaul

verb
keel·​haul | \ ˈkÄ“l-ËŒhȯl How to pronounce keelhaul (audio) \
keelhauled; keelhauling; keelhauls

Definition of keelhaul

transitive verb

1 : to haul under the keel of a ship as punishment or torture
2 : to rebuke severely
Synonyms The Brutal History of Keelhaul Example Sentences Learn More about keelhaul

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The Brutal History of Keelhaul

In the mid-1600s, British monarchs were intent on using their powerful navy to expand their empire. Insubordination was not tolerated, and mutinous sailors were disciplined severely to discourage others from similar rebellion. Keelhauling was one of the worst penalties that could befall a renegade mariner. Although they definitely practiced the gruesome punishment, the British did not invent it—the Dutch did. Keelhaul is a translation of the Dutch word kielhalen, which means "to haul under the keel of a ship." Even after the practice was banned on European naval vessels in the mid-1800s, the word keelhaul remained in English as a term for a severe scolding.

Examples of keelhaul in a Sentence

there's no need to keelhaul him—it was an honest mistake, and a small one at that

Recent Examples on the Web

 And other than a recession, which generally keelhauls buyback plans, don’t expect companies to ease off their repurchases. — Larry Light, Fortune, "More than Half of All Stock Buybacks are Now Financed by Debt. Here’s Why That’s a Problem," 20 Aug. 2019 The threat posed by the AT&T-Time Warner merger is all the greater today because of the Trump administration’s initiative in keelhauling network neutrality at the Federal Communications Commission. — Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, "The blueprint for the disastrous AT&T-Time Warner deal was written years ago by the Comcast-NBC merger," 12 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'keelhaul.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of keelhaul

1666, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for keelhaul

Dutch kielhalen, from kiel keel + halen to haul

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More from Merriam-Webster on keelhaul

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with keelhaul

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for keelhaul

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