: a lever used to turn the rudder of a boat from side to side
broadly
: a device or system that plays a part in steering something
tillered; tillering
ˈti-lə-riŋ 
ˈtil-riŋ
Examples of tiller in a Sentence
Noun (1)
in his paintings farmers are invariably depicted as brawny yet noble tillers of the land
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
It's controlled via simple two-button operation or with the available remote that docks atop the tiller handle.
—New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2025
Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2023
Continue tillering until the bow can be drawn far enough to shoot an arrow half as long as the bow (with most woods, this will be a 35- to 55-pound pull).
—Keith McCafferty, Field & Stream, 29 June 2023
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Noun
Following a few months of absolute chaos, as Nuno Espirito Santo talked himself out of a job and was replaced by Ange Postecoglou — a man with a footballing ethos that could not have been more different — Dyche is very much needed, as a steady hand on the tiller.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
It's controlled via simple two-button operation or with the available remote that docks atop the tiller handle.
—New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Large crabgrass can spread rapidly by tillering or from sprouts at the base of the plant, which rapidly increases the width of the crabgrass clump.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2023
Continue tillering until the bow can be drawn far enough to shoot an arrow half as long as the bow (with most woods, this will be a 35- to 55-pound pull).
—Keith McCafferty, Field & Stream, 29 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for tiller
Cite this Entry
“Tiller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiller. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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