1
as in cruising
to travel on water in a vessel
I can't sail when there's any breeze at all because I get seasick easily
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in flowing
to move or proceed smoothly and readily
sailed through the latest assignment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in floating
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air
a leaf sailed by, carried by the breeze
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of sailing
Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
On November 21, 1916, the Britannic hit a German mine while sailing off Kea.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
The priests and soldiers were very isolated, and sailing around Point Conception in what is now Santa Barbara County was particularly dangerous.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
The Wonder of the Seas is currently sailing a four day, round-trip Bahamas cruise, which departed on Monday, per CruiseMapper.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sailing
Adjective
The Joint Staff of Japan's Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that a Russian naval intelligence collection ship, identified as the Kurily by its hull number, has been sailing along the east coast of Honshu—one of Japan's four main islands—since earlier this month.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
On November 21, 1916, the Britannic hit a German mine while sailing off Kea.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
The priests and soldiers were very isolated, and sailing around Point Conception in what is now Santa Barbara County was particularly dangerous.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
The Wonder of the Seas is currently sailing a four day, round-trip Bahamas cruise, which departed on Monday, per CruiseMapper.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sailing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sailing
Verb
-
For all that, national NFL ratings are cruising along at a 15-year high.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Thanks to its modular Dual+ battery system, the board can deliver between three-and-a-half and seven hours of cruising time, according to SipaBoards.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bubble hems returned across skirts, pants and jackets, proving the detail can feel sharp and modern when well executed, while skirts in every form — sharp and structured, flowing and asymmetric — emerged as the defining piece of spring 2026.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Cars were also blocking the intersection, preventing traffic from flowing through the area.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But she’s batted against by her own clients — including Danielle Macdonald, who is terminally afraid of accidentally killing her own newborn child — and the medical administration hovering around her daughter, demanding immediate improvements or else.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
9 Oct. 2025
-
But the Trojans are hovering at 14 percent and would give their case some legitimacy by taking down the Wolverines.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This spring, Hayden, who according to the Soloviev Group website is currently a student at NYU, announced that Jack’s Marine, the boating shop, was turning into an art gallery.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
1 Oct. 2025
-
One post showed Johnson and his wife boating with Bukele and his family on an estuary in El Salvador.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Plus, the aluminum plates coated in ceramic amp up even heat distribution, gliding through hair without snagging.—
Beatrice Zocchi,
Vogue,
8 Oct. 2025
-
The 40-second demonstration, published by the PhD candidate Ji-Hun Bae at the RoCogMan Lab (Robotic Cognition and Manipulation Lab), features the Tesollo DG-5F robotic hand gliding its fingers in a dance-like motion, mimicking the legendary move.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, the White House has ratcheted up the pressure to end the shutdown by floating a draft memo arguing that furloughed federal workers are not entitled to back pay after the government shutdown lifts.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
9 Oct. 2025
-
And though Urban’s feelings about Kidman’s movies could have certainly played a part, there are other—bigger—rumors floating around.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Of the other methods – including electrocution, lethal gas and hanging – lethal injection had the highest botch rate of more than 7%. ‘An embrace of brutality’ Still, states have remained averse to the firing squad, a position that experts who spoke to CNN believe stems from its overt violence.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The neutral material keeps it from looking like an eye sore and can be expanded for more hanging space as needed.—
Micaela Arnett,
Rolling Stone,
10 Jan. 2024
Verb
-
While the balloons turned out to be ferrying cigarettes, Europe is on high alert after intrusions into NATO’s airspace reached an unprecedented scale last month.—
Danny Bakst,
Fortune,
5 Oct. 2025
-
It was designed to carry as many as 30,000 people a day, ferrying them between the Yucatán’s colonial towns, Mayan ruins, nature reserves, and white-sand beaches.—
Simon Willis,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sailing. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share