SAILS Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

sails 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of sail

as in boats

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

Relevance

as in flows

to move or proceed smoothly and readily sailed through the latest assignment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in floats

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sails

2 of 2

noun

plural of sail

as in voyages

a journey over water in a vessel we went for a brief sail on the bay to relax

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 sails

Verb

Victory Cruise Lines, which sails on the Great Lakes, says 2026 bookings are up more than 20 percent for itineraries such as a 10-night trip that sails on all five Great Lakes. — Jane Wooldridge, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026 Star of the Seas still sails out of Port Canaveral, housing guests on what is tied for the title of world’s largest cruise ship. — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 June 2026 As the ship sails the Antarctic Peninsula, passengers go on excursions, such as taking a Zodiac or kayaking, to view wildlife and immerse themselves in nature. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 16 June 2026 Odysseus sails closer to Scylla on the advice of Circe, who had identified Charybdis as more dangerous. — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 June 2026 The moment Gabriel sails the penalty kick over the net – and PSG turns nerves into jubilation. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 May 2026 The crude oil tanker Idemitsu Maru sails through Ise Bay near Chita City in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, May 25, 2026, after becoming the first crude tanker bound for Japan to transit the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 28 May 2026 The neutrino is a nearly weightless particle that sails through matter like a phantasm. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 May 2026 The line sails year-round from Southern ports including Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Galveston, and New Orleans. — Linnea Bailey, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2026

Noun

In New York, tall ships, with their masts, rigging and white sails outlined against a blue sky, made a procession around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River. — Steven Sloan, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026 Balancing on a light pole in New York’s Battery Park, Elver and Vanessa Radke attempted to glimpse the tall ships' white sails. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 5 July 2026 In New York, tall ships, with their masts, rigging and white sails outlined against a blue sky, made a procession around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River, recalling the fanfare around America’s 200th anniversary in 1976. — Steven Sloan, Fortune, 5 July 2026 The Dodgers’ sails were becalmed for six innings by Padres starter Michael King, leaving them trailing 3-0 in the seventh. — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 4 July 2026 Fleet management noted that the project offers an opportunity to analyze the physical performance of rigid sails alongside their current operational methods for lowering fleet emissions. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026 In New York City, a flotilla of tall ships and military vessels will offer parade sails, tours of the ships and more over the July 4 weekend. — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 3 July 2026 Wide teak decks, polished stainless-steel accents, sleek rigging and billowing white sails define the design. — Stephanie Orma, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Less than an hour after Starmer's announcement, however, Streeting backed Burnham putting more wind in the King of the North's sails. — Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 22 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sails

Verb

Shrimp boats bob in the harbor, American flags flutter from pastel porches and old oak trees draped in Spanish moss offer cool shade.

— Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Kennebunkport, Maine Lobster boats bob in the waves and beachcombers search for shells.

— Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025

Definition of boats

Verb

That visibility shapes where capital flows, which problems get prioritized, and how quickly innovations find their way into practice.

— Jamil Wyne, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Today's stock-market market conversation is dominated by structural dynamics, index machinations and mechanical flows the way World Cup chatter fixates on officiating decisions and bracket construction.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 7 July 2026

Definition of flows

Verb

But the County Commission has the power to raise taxes, and the Levine Cava memo floats a higher rate for between 8 and 16 years to raise money for both transit construction and operations.

— Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Next, its 50-pound platter assembly floats on an air-bearing.

— Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 8 July 2026

Definition of floats

Verb

The blockage of the strait, which normally ferries 20% of the world's oil, sent global energy prices soaring.

— Kevin Breuninger,Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Iran has effectively halted trade traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the maritime trade route that ferries roughly 20% of the world’s petroleum.

— Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026

Definition of ferries

Verb

Traveling such vast distances between our solar system's most remote objects means New Horizons often cruises for months at a time with little to do other than passively collect data.

— Brett Tingley, Space.com, 8 July 2026
The third main character, a livestreamer named Jake Deal, cruises the night looking for chaos while narrating to his audience.

— Carolyn Kellogg, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

Definition of cruises

Verb

Screenwriters Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller briskly sketch in the legend that hovers like a stormcloud waiting to descend over life in the lush coconut groves and on the golden beaches.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026
As a result, Skywalkers hovers between a sense of constant performance and disarming immediacy — the latter generally during the many vertigo-inducing drone shots of Ivan and Angela’s hair-raising accomplishments.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 July 2026

Definition of hovers

Verb

Light moves But the show’s action drifts beyond that focal point, up to the main plaza level, especially in its lighting.

— Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 July 2026
Elsewhere, the conversation drifts into questions about public-records databases, investigative reporting, grant applications, and the ways institutions classify professional expertise.

— Rhoda Feng, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of drifts

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sails. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of sails

verb

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on sails

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

yaw

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes