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
Noun
You’re being encouraged to set sail into new horizons, both physically and intellectually.—Kyle Thomas, Peoplemag, 9 June 2024 Jones set sail again and won easily as Clark backed off.—Mike Kupper, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024
Verb
In my opinion, that ship has sailed – for many very good and practical reasons having to do with living in the modern world.—Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 6 June 2024 Cruise aficionados looking to experience Alaska's capital, Juneau, may have to vie for permission to disembark and step foot on land, under a new agreement between the city and major cruise lines that sail there.—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 5 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for sail
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English segl; akin to Old High German segal sail
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
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