sail 1 of 2

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

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2
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

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sail

2 of 2

noun

as in voyage
a journey over water in a vessel we went for a brief sail on the bay to relax

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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
On viewing decks overlooking Raja Ampat’s Waigeo Barat islands, visitors from France, Spain and the United States watch boats sail between shades of turquoise and blue. ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026 The Hookers had been married for about 25 years and have been sailing together for more than a decade, Aylesworth said on CNN News Central Tuesday. Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
The Comets entered the final weekend hopeful to win the MASL Shield, but a pair of overtime defeats to the San Diego Sockers took the wind out of their sails. Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026 Iraq’s surprise invasion in 1980 served as a wind in the sails of the Guards, who saw their role drastically expanded to keep Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s forces at bay. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sail
Verb
  • The boating forecast in South Florida on April 1, 2026.
    Lissette Gonzalez, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Davide Veglia, 55, was killed Wednesday in a boating hit-and-run crash in the Meloy Channel of Biscayne Bay.
    Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • One of the gates of these islands connects to the superconducting cavity built using Josephson junctions that allow quantum currents to flow and complete a microwave circuit.
    Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 3 Apr. 2026
  • But what was unusual was the kind of information that began to flow in from her audience.
    Rufina Chow, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Numbers began to skyrocket around the time of the Artemis II launch on April 1st, peaking at around 12,434 at time of writing— a huge jump against the game's standard average player count, which hovers around 3,000 to 4,000.
    Alan Bradley, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Oil prices are still hovering just below $100 per barrel as a shaky ceasefire in Iran goes into effect, but there’s a long road ahead even if the war concludes.
    Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • That’s also despite the fact that Anna has about $500 in her bank account, a totally unrealistic sum to potentially sustain a voyage to Italy where a cab alone apparently runs to the cool tune of 200 euros.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Just seven ships, all with some kind of prior link to Iran, were observed making the voyage out of the Persian Gulf on Wednesday and into Thursday morning.
    Alex Longley, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • During Superstorm Sandy, a fourteen-foot surge from the Hudson poured into the city, producing images of National Guardsmen in boats ferrying residents through waist-high water.
    Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Casinos have flown him in on a G650 and ferried him around in a Rolls-Royce.
    Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The series takes place on a yacht, cruising the coast of Malta.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Both teams had cruised to the Final Four, each winning easily in the first four rounds.
    Doug Feinberg, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Knies opened the scoring after Edmundson hand-delivered the puck to Max Domi, who zoomed ahead and floated a saucer pass to Knies for a snipe from between the circles.
    Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Some of the ideas under consideration have been floating around for a while, but last month a list of proposals was leaked to ESPN.
    Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Any second, surely, Dad’s tan Mercedes would glide into view and start its rumbling, lumbering ascent up the gravel drive.
    Kate Crane, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Without a bobber stopper, on a slack line, your bullet weight will sink to the bottom, but your soft plastic will slowly glide towards the bottom while enticing hungry bass into biting.
    Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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