sailing

play

noun sail·ing \ ˈsā-liŋ \

Definition of sailing

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

See sailing defined for English-language learners

Examples of sailing in a Sentence

They're going sailing next week.

Recent Examples of sailing from the Web

While there, soak in the views of Lake Ontario from the shore, try a sailing course, or take a drink break on a waterfront patio.

— Daily Intelligencer, "Why Toronto Is Known as ‘Canada’s Downtown’," 12 Aug. 2017
If the L.A. Olympics are committed to the best settings in SoCal, how could San Diego not be considered in addition to Long Beach, the current sailing host?

— logan jenkins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Will San Diego have its own Olympic event? Long shot but possible," 8 Aug. 2017
Campers, ages 7 to 16, generally think the best things about this camp on Lake Wylie are archery, sailing, and the challenge course.

— page leggett, charlotteobserver, "Camp Thunderbird helped Landon shed limitations to reach new milestones," 2 Aug. 2017
For example, for the Topdeck Ibiza sailing trip, breakfast and lunch are included every full day, but dinners are at the travelers’ discretion; and there are optional excursions, like a kayaking tour, that cost extra.

— emma sarran webster, Teen Vogue, "8 Things to Know About Group Travel Before You Go," 22 July 2017
Gilbert is a boating and sailing journalist, who also writes cookbooks, and has cooked for hungry crews on long-distance and racing trips.

— ann maloney, NOLA.com, "Sail-gating in the Caribbean: Go gourmet on your sailboat," 12 July 2017
The month before, White House officials trumpeted news of an aircraft carrier heading toward North Korea — at a time when the ship was in fact sailing in the opposite direction.

— daniel kurtz-phelan, Daily Intelligencer, "How Trump Made the Nearly Impossible North Korea Problem Even Worse," 6 July 2017
Happily Ever After will be pure smooth sailing from there.

— heather havrilesky, The Cut, "Ask Polly: Do People Ever Really Escape Their Dysfunctional Families?," 28 June 2017
Bermuda Emirates Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup on Monday, wresting control of the nearly 166-year-old sailing trophy from Larry Ellison’s Oracle Team USA and dealing a blow to the Silicon Valley tycoon’s revamp of the competition.

— aaron kuriloff, WSJ, "New Zealand Cruises to Win America’s Cup," 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sailing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of sailing

before 12th century

SAILING Defined for English Language Learners

sailing

play

noun

Definition of sailing for English Language Learners

: the sport or activity of traveling on water in a sailboat

Learn More about sailing

See words that rhyme with sailing Nglish: Translation of sailing for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sailing for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up sailing? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

sailing

Definition of sailing

Examples of sailing in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sailing from the Web

First Known Use of sailing

SAILING Defined for English Language Learners

sailing

Definition of sailing for English Language Learners

Learn More about sailing

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

toothsome

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Let's Talk 'Tea'

8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

Ask the Editors

Words of the Year: 1066

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Irregardless

Weird Plurals

Word Games

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Spell It

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066

sailing

Definition of sailing

People Are Reading

Examples of sailing in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sailing from the Web

First Known Use of sailing

Phrases Related to SAILING

Related Phrases

SAILING Defined for English Language Learners

sailing

Definition of sailing for English Language Learners

Learn More about sailing

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066