Illustration of sail
- 1 flying jib
- 2 jib
- 3 forestaysail
- 4 foresail
- 5 fore gaff-topsail
- 6 main-topmast staysail
- 7 mainsail
- 8 main gaff-topsail
1
a(1)
: an extent of fabric (such as canvas) by means of which wind is used to propel a ship through water
(2)
: the sails of a ship
b
plural usually sail
: a ship equipped with sails
2
: an extent of fabric used in propelling a wind-driven vehicle (such as an iceboat)
3
: something that resembles a sail
especially
: a streamlined conning tower on a submarine
see also:
sailed; sailing; sails
1
a
: to travel on water in a ship
b
: yacht
2
a
: to travel on water by the action of wind upon sails or by other means
b
: to move or proceed easily, gracefully, nonchalantly, or without resistance
My father sailed through Harvard in three years …—
Roger Angell
Roger Angellthe bill sailed through the legislature
c
: to move through the air
the ball sailed over his head
3
: to begin a water voyage
sail with the tide
1
a
: to travel on (water) by means of motive power (such as sail)
sail the ocean
b
: to glide through
2
: to direct or manage the motion of
sail a ship
see also:
Examples of sail in a Sentence
Noun
Wind filled the sails and our journey had begun.
raising and lowering the ship's sails
a sail to San Francisco
Verb
We'll sail along the coast.
He sailed around the world on a luxury liner.
She sailed the Atlantic coastline.
She's sailing a boat in tomorrow's race.
The ship was sailed by a crew of 8.
I've been sailing since I was a child.
a ship that has sailed the seven seas
We sat on the shore watching boats sail by.
We sail at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
They sail for San Francisco next week.
Recent Examples on the Web
Damon Wise, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
Soon after, Dead & Company, with John Mayer acquitting himself in the Garcia role better than anyone would have thought, set sail.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2026
All Baltimore cruises will be canceled after that, and passengers with bookings can either request refunds or sail out of other City Cruises ports.
—Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sail
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
After its attention-grabbing opening, Queen at Sea sails into more familiar territory, of the kind chartered by Gaspar Noé in Vortex and, more pertinently, Michael Haneke in Love.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
Soon after, Dead & Company, with John Mayer acquitting himself in the Garcia role better than anyone would have thought, set sail.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
On March 7, 1949, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) were stationed on a boat called the R/V Atlantis that was sailing off the coast of Bermuda.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2026
All Baltimore cruises will be canceled after that, and passengers with bookings can either request refunds or sail out of other City Cruises ports.
—Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sail
Cite this Entry
“Sail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sail. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sail
1 of 2 noun
ˈsā(ə)l 
as last element in compounds often səl
1
a
: a sheet of fabric (as canvas) used to catch wind to move a craft through water or over ice
b
: the sails of a ship
under full sail
c
plural usually sail
: a ship with sails
2
: something like a sail
3
: a journey by ship
sail
2 of 2 verb1
: to travel on water in a ship
sail the seas
2
: to travel by a sailing craft
3
: to move or glide along
sailed into the room
4
: to manage the sailing of
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