sailed

verb

past tense of sail
1
as in ferried
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 flowed
to move or proceed smoothly and readily sailed through the latest assignment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in hovered
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 sailed Needing 11 yards on fourth down to continue their drive and cut into a 23-7 Packers lead, Prescott narrowly avoided a sack before lofting a pass that sailed out the back of the end zone, not close to any particular Cowboys receiver. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026 Yet Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare – senior Tory politician, former athlete, bestselling novelist and bon viveur – simply sailed on. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 2026 In a different quarter the headline for this story might’ve been that Georgia — which had been hard-hit by the departure of Marvel superhero projects that sailed overseas to the United Kingdom — is bouncing back. — Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026 Henderson picked it up and sailed a throw to first, allowing the tying run to score. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 More than five centuries ago, the son of a wool weaver from Genoa sailed westward to widen the boundaries of the known world. — Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 12 Oct. 2026 The Huskers had an opportunity to add to their lead at the end of the first half, but Cunanan's 40-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 Aubrey's 65-yard attempt with about 30 seconds left in the second quarter sailed wide left. — Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026 Before its commissioning, the destroyer sailed from Norfolk to Florida and then traveled to Alaska through the Panama Canal. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sailed
  1. ferried
  2. flowed
  3. hovered
  4. cruised
  5. drifted
  6. floated
  7. boated
  8. glided
Verb
  • Treasury said Caspian had transported IRGC personnel and weapons to Syria and said Meraj had ferried illicit cargo, including weapons, to the Syrian government.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But that requires arms with minor-league options who can be ferried between Triple-A Albuquerque and Denver.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of ferried
Verb
  • For Iran, the technology that originally flowed to Russia is now returning, along with tactical advice drawn from Russia’s experience in Ukraine.
    — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Inflation dropped sharply, deposits flowed back into the banking system, and the economy switched from negative to positive growth with a surge in exports leading the way.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of flowed
Verb
  • Last year, global output for these complex machines hovered around just 9,600 units.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
  • As the military-style helicopter hovered above them, attendees from the rural, predominantly Latino community, began to get nervous.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of hovered
Verb
  • Lionel Messi scored two second-half goals 4 minutes apart after a first-half assist, and Inter Miami cruised to a 3-1 victory over Atlanta United on Saturday night.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The Vegas Golden Knights cruised past the Hawks, as did the Utah Mammoth, while the Buffalo Sabres used a third-period comeback to keep the road team winless.
    — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruised
Verb
  • For the past 15 years, Ishmael Butler and his cast of collaborators have drifted further and further into the outer reaches, deconstructing and reassembling hip-hop, jazz, and kosmische conventions into sprawling, proggy rhapsodies.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Meta stock plunged after the hyperscaler drifted into negative free cash flow, while China entered bear market territory with Alibaba’s stock dropping 6%, as investors questioned the return on its AI investments.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of drifted
Verb
  • Even after Bretton Woods collapsed and many currencies floated freely, the dollar continued to dominate.
    — Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Ryanair even floated the idea of charging to use the bathroom or getting rid of seats and having passengers stand, though neither took flight.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of floated
Verb
  • Over two partial days and one full day of fishing – roughly 15 hours total – the three of us boated 53 catfish up to 25 pounds.
    — Brad Dokken, Twin Cities, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Many of the 30,000 tourists last year who boated down the Paraguay River beside the Serra do Amolar, about 60 miles downriver from Porto Jofre, were guests on liveaboard fishing charters.
    — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2025
Definition of boated
Verb
  • The pinkish squid glided two miles beneath the surface, its long, pale legs trailing from undulating fins, stunning scientists who know remarkably little about its diet, behavior or reproduction.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Merino glided away from challenges to keep Arsenal in control.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of glided

Browse Nearby Words

sailboats
sailed
sailed into
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Cite this Entry

“Sailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sailed. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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