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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
And Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has struck ships sailing close to the Omani coastline. — Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Money, 19 July 2026 Among them are hundreds of thousands of families sailing aboard three Disney cruise ships, all homeported there. — Jack Kennedy, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026 This is the cruise line’s first year cruising to Alaska, and our first time sailing with MSC. — Susan B. Barnes, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 July 2026 The illustrations showed him fleets of Greek ships sailing for Troy to recover Helen, and men being transformed into livestock. — Chris Moody, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026 Nothing memorable occurred until the penalty shootout that came after the 0-0 draw, where Switzerland prevailed 4-3, despite Inter defender Manuel Akanji sending his effort sailing over the crossbar. — Phil Hay, New York Times, 16 July 2026 One server at the restaurant is on leave, sailing around the world with friends. — Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 14 July 2026 Similarly, Gemini services sailing to Ningbo on the May date had a 24-hour waiting time on average, which had extended to a one-to-two-day average time to berth by the end of June. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 8 July 2026 Where Crystal Symphony Sails The ship is sailing to Alaska in the summer of 2026 before moving onward to Canada, New England, and the Caribbean. — Fran Golden, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 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
  • Webb was cruising along until hitting Randy Arozarena and walking Josh Naylor with one out in the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 19 July 2026
  • This is the cruise line’s first year cruising to Alaska, and our first time sailing with MSC.
    — Susan B. Barnes, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 July 2026
Definition of cruising
Verb
  • Jarvis even has the essence, his blonde hair lusciously flowing from the back of his helmet after each clutch hit.
    — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 23 July 2026
  • Referees did their best to keep games flowing, supported by new rules to speed up throw-ins and other restarts.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of flowing
Verb
  • Home to the first floating Zuma in the world, Japanese is arguably the Waldorf Astoria Maldives’ most popular cuisine.
    — Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 16 July 2026
  • The interiors are purposefully focused around the driver, and the integrated gear-change gate beneath the floating dashboard immediately catches your eye.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 July 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
  • In Valencia, a number of boating outfitters are offering eclipse-viewing charters since La Malvarrosa beach, the city’s official viewing spot, faces east, meaning viewers will need to look inland to see the eclipse.
    — Catherine Tansey, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 July 2026
  • Officials highlighted the successful outcome as a reminder that wearing life jackets and following boating safety precautions can make all the difference during emergencies on the water.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 July 2026
Definition of boating
Verb
  • Bertha is drifting slowly but is expected to move northwest tonight before tracking near or along the northern Gulf Coast over the next several days.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 20 July 2026
  • Griezmann operated as a central attacker in a front three alongside Angulo and Ojeda, frequently drifting into deeper positions to collect the ball and turn play forward.
    — Scott Turick, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2026
Definition of drifting
Verb
  • The Menlo Park Fire Protection District received a call during the week of July 13 stating that a dog had entered a body of water and was swimming.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026
  • The East Palo Alto Police Department posted a separate video from the rescue that shows the dog swimming furiously with seagulls circling overhead and firefighters scooping him out of the murky water and swaddling him in towels.
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 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 24 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of sailing for Spanish Speakers

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