sail 1 of 2

verb

Definition of sailnext
1
as in to boat
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

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2
as in to flow
to move or proceed smoothly and readily sailed through the latest assignment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to hover
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

sail

2 of 2

noun

ˈsāl How to pronounce sail (audio)
as in voyage
a journey over water in a vessel we went for a brief sail on the bay to relax

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 sail
Verb
Such leads belong informally to the scientists who discover them, but there’s nothing to stop a rogue taxonomist from sailing in with the Jolly Roger at full-mast. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 On one of their last nights in Paris, all the beginners' French students piled onto a boat that would sail them back and forth across the Seine. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Noun
Each cutter was required to be built domestically, and each was equipped with specific weapons and equipment, down to the same number of inches of cloth for its sails. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 July 2026 One or two people in the back steer with a hand blade, while someone sits in a net to pull or release the sail depending on the wind. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for sail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sail
  1. boat
  2. flow
  3. hover
  4. voyage
  5. ferry
  6. cruise
  7. float
  8. glide
Verb
  • Despite growing up on a farm and initially fearing water, his girlfriend Carmen Mundt introduced him to boating, and team principal Toto Wolff to freediving.
    — Bill Springer, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Jennifer Aniston enjoys a boating summer vacation in Mallorca, Spain, with her partner Jim Curtis on July 27.
    — People Staff, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of boat
Verb
  • Some more images show Kidman, Bullock, 62, King, 26, and Williams, 29, wearing flowing gowns while hooked onto wires, seemingly filming a scene that involves flying, in front of a blue screen.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Exports flowing from Saudi ports have blunted some of the impact of the Strait of Hormuz closure.
    — Fatma Khaled, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of flow
Verb
  • For the observer hovering above one of these boundaries, Kuridze says, the view would depend on the time of arrival.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026
  • While the rain is expected to mostly subside by Saturday, temperatures will hover near the 90s through Sunday and into next week.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of hover
Noun
  • Twelve hours into the Empress’s voyage, the ship collided with the SS Størsad, and1,012 passengers died instantly.
    — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The Mutiara Sentosa 2 serves the Surabaya-Makassar route, a voyage that typically takes around 40 hours and is primarily used by domestic travelers and cargo transport between the islands of Java and Sulawesi.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of voyage
Verb
  • Middle Eastern producers have ferried cargoes out of the Gulf as part of a shuttle program put in place by several countries in the region.
    — Bloomberg, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The banana trade’s leading companies maintained fleets of freighters to ferry fruit north from Central America and the Antilles.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of ferry
Verb
  • The Red Sox had cruised to a 13-1 win on Friday night, rolling to that victory one night after rallying five times against the White Sox in a 13-inning marathon.
    — Curt Anderson, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Competing lower difficulty due to her recent comeback, Carey cruised through her two vaults to take a comfortable lead in the vault standings.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruise
Verb
  • While HoloHolo Grill is the only restaurant onsite, Kōloa Landing Resort does have a free-standing snack shack poolside serving shave ice and root beer floats along with a handy marketplace just off the lobby.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Gualtieri said the property tax ballot amendment is not the proposal that DeSantis first floated to voters and questioned why there were no protections for public safety funding.
    — Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of float
Verb
  • Video from his dash camera shows the aircraft gliding under a highway sign, missing it by mere feet, before touching down in the empty lanes.
    — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The countless repetitions give you the most beautiful art form where swans glide, fairies dance and every year a giant nutcracker appears.
    — Chrissie Leong, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of glide

Phrases Containing sail

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said uncle
sail
sailboat
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Cite this Entry

“Sail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sail. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on sail

Nglish: Translation of sail for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sail

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