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

The winner in this category, The Oberoi Cruises, with five-star sailings on the Nile, achieved one of the top scores in the entire World’s Best Awards survey for 2025. —Fran Golden, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025

The two ships will swap itineraries, with Prima sailing Breakaway's Southern Caribbean cruises and Breakaway sailing Prima's Western Caribbean cruises. —Nathan Diller, USA Today, 7 July 2025

The couple has gone head-to-head in everything from table tennis and spin biking to charity sailing races and running on the track. —Stephanie Petit, People.com, 5 July 2025

Ellison’s interests extend well beyond real estate, encompassing a serious watch collection, high-performance yachts, and his role as cofounder of SailGP, a global sailing league launched in 2018. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 4 July 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