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
More cruise ships like Oceania Marina and Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot are sailing to remote destinations like Sisimiut, Narsaq, and Disko Island. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026 Mandel took the sentiment a step further, comparing Cowell’s absence to sailing without the person normally steering the ship. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 22 Sep. 2026 The kick shot almost directly left, sailing over KU’s bench and out of bounds at the 25-yard line for a punt of just 17 yards. — Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 19 Sep. 2026 After sailing about half an hour, Choi’s navy yard utility boat slowed and hovered – never fully stopping as the water was far deeper than the length of the anchor. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026 The Costa Cruises vessel was reportedly sailing from Naples to Sicily when the brawl erupted at sea. — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026 The ship-tracking website VesselFinder lists it as sailing under the Liberian flag. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026 Buffs wideouts were sailing past Tech defenders on both boundaries, sometimes by two or three steps. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Sep. 2026 The 91-meter (298-foot) Alsu is an oil or chemical tanker sailing from Kocaeli, east of Istanbul, to Aliaga on the Aegean coast, according to the Marine Traffic website. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 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
  • The British yard, which revealed its first catamaran at the Cannes Yachting Festival in early September, today unveiled a new flagship sailing superyacht that combines elegant design and meticulous craftsmanship with bluewater cruising capability.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 24 Sep. 2026
  • After a dismal outing on Sunday, the Indiana Fever got their spark back on Tuesday, cruising to a 96–77 win over the league-best Minnesota Lynx in their final game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse of the regular season.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of cruising
Verb
  • The Oktoberfest vibes continued throughout the ship with more live music, and the pumpkin beer never stopped flowing.
    — ElleAnna Revell, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
  • That changed a bit earlier this month when the Houthis bombed the Saudi East-West pipeline, temporarily shutting down roughly 7 million barrels of oil flowing to the Red Sea – more than half of which had been diverted from the Strait of Hormuz.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of flowing
Verb
  • Propped up against them were colorful large-scale oil paintings of orbs floating against blurry color fields.
    — Ryan Sullivan, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Walls, backsplash areas and the space beneath upper cabinets rarely get treated as storage, even though rails, pegboards, magnetic strips, floating shelves and hanging baskets can absorb a meaningful share of what currently sits on the counter.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 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
  • The park has boating access, paddlesport rentals, and a swimming beach, as well as hiking trails, campgrounds, and mini cabins.
    — Savannah Born, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In 2017, Clear Lake’s dire condition led the state to establish a blue ribbon commission, with tribal participation, focused on cleaning up the lake to bolster the local boating and fishing economy.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of boating
Verb
  • The nor'easter is weakening and drifting on Monday slowly northeast from Long Island, New York, to Massachusetts, into the Gulf of Maine by Tuesday.
    — Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Leaders should notice who is drifting to the edges, hold check-ins that go beyond tasks, design meetings so that every voice can be heard and create purposeful opportunities for people to work and reflect together.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of drifting
Verb
  • More energetic outdoor activities include swimming in the saltwater pool, walking or jogging on the Deck 15 track, paddle tennis, golf cages, and a mini-golf course.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Two-foot-long cutthroat trout swimming en masse up rivers for only a few weeks each year, turns out, are a siren’s song for anglers from around the world.
    — Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 23 Sep. 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 2 Oct. 2026.

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