Synonyms of sailing

sailing 1 of 2

adjective

as in hovering

Related Words

• hovering
• gliding
• hanging
• drifting
• wafting
• floating
• poised
• awash
• afloat
• unsinkable
• free-floating
• buoyant
• floaty

Dissimilar Words

• sinking
• sunk
• high and dry
• aground

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

• cruising
• boating
• ferrying
• navigating
• voyaging
• kayaking
• shipping (out)
• coasting
• canoeing
• yachting
• making sail
• taking ship

2

as in flowing

to move or proceed smoothly and readily

sailed through the latest assignment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flowing
• cruising
• gliding
• drifting
• flying
• sliding
• racing
• rolling
• sweeping
• coasting
• brushing
• slipping
• bowling
• streaming
• speeding
• rushing
• skimming
• breezing
• whisking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• struggling
• floundering
• stumbling
• limping
• trudging
• plodding
• lumbering
• shuffling
• stamping
• tramping
• laboring
• stomping
• toiling
• shambling
• stumping

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

• hovering
• floating
• swimming
• drifting
• gliding
• riding
• bobbing
• hanging
• wafting
• dangling
• poising
• suspending
• rafting
• buoying
• ballooning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sinking
• settling
• diving
• plunging
• lunging
• dipping
• immersing
• submerging
• submersing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sailing

Verb

Would Alejandro González Iñárritu’s breathlessly awaited, Tom Cruise vehicle Digger be sailing to the Lido? — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Aug. 2026

While Homer followed warriors sailing home from Troy, the playwright Euripides — writing some three centuries later — turned to the city’s ruins and its women, forced into exile and enslavement. — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

The quarterback’s touch seemed off, with several passes sailing over the reach of his targets. — Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026

With three yachts now sailing and more luxury brands joining the fleet, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is driving a major shift in luxury cruising. — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

And on the toss, Abrams-Draine jumped the route, sailing the other direction for the first interception off Nix of training camp. — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 5 Aug. 2026

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

Saudi tankers are already sailing from Red Sea terminals through the Suez Canal and around Africa, a detour that adds nearly 25 days to shipments to Asia, Nasser said. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2026

On Tuesday, July 28, the Viking Ullur ship was sailing down the Danube River, Europe’s second-longest river that flows from southwestern Germany to the Black Sea. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026