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

Stroll around the wharf and its eclectic businesses, or get out on the water with whale watching expeditions, sailing cruises, fishing and lobstering tours, and day trips and ferry rides to explore Casco Bay and its stunning islands. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 July 2026

The same cannot be said of GB1, the new brand name for Ainslie’s fourth assault on the America’s Cup, regarded as the pinnacle of international sailing. — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 24 July 2026

For the most part, container shipping has maintained its sailings around the Cape of Good Hope even after the Houthis suspended their campaign last fall. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 23 July 2026

This prevented Lopez Insua from seeing a sailboat carrying a 19-year-old counselor and five girls, ranging in age from 7 to 13, from a nearby sailing camp that had lost wind and stalled in the tugboat’s path, investigators said. — ABC News, 23 July 2026

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