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

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

And towards the front of the property, where guests first arrive is the marina and yacht club which is accessible not only to guests but also to boaters sailing the BVI. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 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

The tanker was sailing in the southern shipping lane close to the Omani coast, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said in a post on Tuesday, Asia time. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026

Yet the language, always extraordinarily resilient, is again sailing toward new horizons in the 21st century. — Ilan Stavans, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026