sailing 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of sailingnext
as in hovering

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sailing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sail
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
2
as in flowing
to move or proceed smoothly and readily sailed through the latest assignment

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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

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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
Verb
Seductive aquatic creatures luring sailors to a watery death is a story that pretty much originated with sailing itself. — Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026 When the Odyssey stopped sailing, the friend had spent less than a month on the ship. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026 The train also provides access to some of the region’s best outdoor activities, from skiing near Killington to sailing on Lake Champlain. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 1 Nov. 2026 Tankers carrying Russian diesel are sailing to the United States, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to attend a G20 ministerial meeting in Atlanta starting Friday, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. — Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026 The freighter, with a crew of 25, was sailing with limited engine power Sunday evening. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026 Charging infrastructure at ports would supply the electricity needed for operation, allowing the concept to avoid direct carbon emissions while sailing. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026 Chuck Zimmerman, who is described by his supporters as a Navy veteran who was intercepted by the Russian navy while sailing in international waters. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 One tanker is now sailing toward Poland through the Red Sea, according to Bloomberg, and at least 20 more shipments have passed through the Strait of Hormuz to other destinations since early September. — semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sailing
  1. hovering
  2. cruising
  3. flowing
  4. floating
  5. gliding
  6. boating
  7. drifting
  8. swimming
Adjective
  • The drones then find the best hovering altitude before each lining up to spray the fire, one after the other.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 20 July 2026
  • He-Man was now a jolly, quip-ready hero, whose best friends were scaredy-cat Cringer (a green-and-yellow tiger who transformed into Battle Cat), and an annoying, hovering magician called Orko.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 1 June 2026
Definition of hovering
Verb
  • At home, Pritzker appears to be cruising toward a third term in a rematch with GOP nominee Darren Bailey.
    — Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Developed in partnership with Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design, the new Oyster P60 combines the space and stability of a multihull with the cruising capabilities of an offshore yacht.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruising
Verb
  • Another key feature are the balconies overlooking the gently flowing Shirakawa River.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The site says consistency matters more than duration and that practitioners can work up to 1 to 2 hours a day, though even 1-minute breaks between tasks help keep energy flowing.
    — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of flowing
Verb
  • The contracts involve subsea production systems and pipelines, a floating control unit and drilling rig services.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Scientists have estimated up to around 13 million metric tons of plastics enter the ocean each year, but only a fraction of has been found floating at the surface — around 250,000 tons.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of floating
Adjective
  • In addition, the action includes top-tier spider combat and awesome web-slinging and web-gliding traversal abilities.
    — George Yang, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
Definition of gliding
Verb
  • Naya Rivera, who played cheerleader Santana Lopez, died in an accidental drowning while boating with her 4-year-old son on a California lake in 2020.
    — Saba Hamedy, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In the years since the series concluded, another loss was suffered as Rivera, who played Santana Lopez, died from drowning in 2020 after going boating with her four-year-old son.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of boating
Verb
  • Five people, including two children, were rescued this week in the South Pacific island nation of Kiribati after three months drifting at sea in a 20-foot skiff, authorities said.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Meanwhile, crash cymbals and electric guitar keep Rowland’s Carolina drawl from drifting too far into a folk sound.
    — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of drifting
Verb
  • It’s estimated about 25% of the sunscreen people apply to their skin washes off while swimming or wading in the ocean.
    — Matthew Perrone, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • For twenty years, McCarthy has been swimming against the current, writing novels that reflect, with unusual intensity, his disdain for the conventional underpinnings of literary fiction.
    — Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of swimming

Browse Nearby Words

sailers
sailing
sailing into
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Cite this Entry

“Sailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sailing. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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