sailing

noun

sail·​ing ˈsā-liŋ 

1

a

: the technical skill of managing a ship : navigation

b

: the method of determining the course to be followed to reach a given point

2

a

: the sport of handling or riding in a sailboat

b

: a departure from a port

Examples of sailing in a Sentence

They're going sailing next week.

Recent Examples on the Web

For those craving time on the water, a private catamaran sailing excursion allows the whole family to relax, swim, or snorkel at their own pace. —Patricia Johnson, Travel + Leisure, 26 Dec. 2025

The Dutch firm is known for designing some of the world’s most advanced sailing vessels. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025

Silversea partners with the Royal Geographic Society on some sailings. —Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 25 Dec. 2025

Listeners receive a crash course in the surprising complexities of polar medicine—Varnam serves as the crew’s doctor, nurse, and dentist all at once—as well as a taste of life aboard a sailing vessel bound for such remote territory. —Benjamin Cannon, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sailing

• clear sailing
• plain sailing
• sailing ship
• smooth sailing

Rhymes for sailing

• ailing
• bailing
• baling
• failing
• flailing
• grayling
• hailing
• jailing
• mailing
• nailing
• paling
• railing