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

Baron Edmond de Rothschild’s run of sailing yachts continued until 1990, when his son, Benjamin, turned his attention to even more-competitive multihulls and oversaw the rise of the Gitana Team. —Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2026

These unique one-way sailings generally occur at the beginning or end of a cruising season (typically in the spring or fall) when ships need to return to their home ports. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2026

Thailand’s top port, Laem Chabang, will see service frequency to the West Coast double, moving from one to two weekly sailings, according to Sea-Intelligence. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 20 Feb. 2026

Wayne shared fond memories of time spent with his brother, recalling their competitive sailing adventures in Southern California and travels abroad in Asia. —Christian Cervantes, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 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