verb
- past tense of reef; reduced the area of a sail by folding or rolling part of it
Usage: nautical
Examples
- The crew reefed the mainsail as the wind picked up.
- They reefed the sails to prepare for the approaching storm.
- The captain ordered the sailors to have the topsail reefed immediately.
- With the sails properly reefed, the boat handled the rough seas better.
- The experienced sailor quickly reefed the jib before the squall hit.