helm
1 Americannoun
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Nautical.
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a wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered.
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the entire steering apparatus of a ship.
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the angle with the fore-and-aft line made by a rudder when turned.
15-degree helm.
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the place or post of control.
A stern taskmaster was at the helm of the company.
verb (used with object)
noun
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Also called great helm. Also a medieval helmet, typically formed as a single cylindrical piece with a flat or raised top, completely enclosing the head.
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Archaic. a helmet.
verb (used with object)
noun
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nautical
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the wheel, tiller, or entire apparatus by which a vessel is steered
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the position of the helm: that is, on the side of the keel opposite from that of the rudder
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a position of leadership or control (esp in the phrase at the helm )
verb
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of helm1
First recorded before 900; Middle English helm(e), Old English helma; cognate with Middle High German halme, helm “handle,” Old Norse hjalm “rudder”
Origin of helm2
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, German helm; akin to Old English helan “to cover”; see origin at hull 1
Explanation
The person at the helm is the person in charge, and if you happen to be at sea, that person is the one steering the boat with a device called a helm, the mechanism that keeps the boat on course. When someone takes over from someone else — as when a newly elected official takes office, or when a company appoints a new head — you would say that new person has taken the helm. But if you're going to take the helm or be at the helm, you can't have an empty boat. There's got to be a group in there with you that you're taking the helm for, guiding them all.
Vocabulary lists containing helm
100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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This Week in Words: Feb. 25 - Mar. 2, 2018
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Regardless, the show and host Stephen Colbert, who has been at the helm since 2015, are at the beginning of the end with the series slated to end Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
The bond market isn’t waiting around for Kevin Warsh, the newly confirmed head of the Federal Reserve, to get settled into his role at the helm of the U.S. central bank.
From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026
Critics say the prime minister has swerved from one policy misstep to another during his 22 months at the helm.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
A half-dozen jobs and three countries later, he is at the helm of the Timberwolves, who have spent the playoffs pulling off upset after massive upset.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
Leo resisted the urge to run to the helm.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
