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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
In a nutshell, the Trojan prince Paris sails to Sparta to capture Helen, the beautiful wife of the king of Sparta, Menelaus.—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025 Researchers set sail in January 2019 for a 49-day expedition aboard the South African polar research vessel SA Agulhas II.—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
But, that boat suddenly left the group and sailed into the path of the barge, Palomares said.—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025 One of those mistakes came when star tight end Travis Kelce saw a pass from Patrick Mahomes sail off of his hands and directly into the waiting arms of veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner.—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sail
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)
Share