1
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
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2
as in flows
to move or proceed smoothly and readily
sailed through the latest assignment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sails
Camila Gomez, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Capasecca Yacht Another bespoke yachting experience, Capasecca — featuring four cabins that sleep up to eight guests — sails the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia and Procida, backed by a family with generations of seafaring heritage.
—Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
In response, Iran has nearly halted traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.
—Stan Choe, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
Iran’s actions have effectively stopped cargo traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails.
—Alex Veiga, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Much will depend on what happens with the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast, where roughly a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails.
—Jeremy Tanner, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2026
Kate Stewart, who has carried the Texas offense tonight, sails a long double into center field to score pinch runner Adayah Wallace and now has three of the four Longhorn RBIs.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026
That often sails round-trip from Seattle or Vancouver with stops such as Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan.
—Nathan Diller, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
Two examples of these itineraries are Celebrity’s transatlantic sailing from Orlando, Florida, to Southampton, England (by way of Bermuda and Lisbon), and this 23-day transpacific journey aboard Windstar Cruises, which sails from Tokyo to Vancouver.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2026
Joe Otterson, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
That was never likely to actually happen, but the ceasefire takes the wind out of the sails of Democrats who had enjoyed the internecine fighting.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2026
The fighting has halted most of the traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off Iran’s coast where a fifth of the world’s oil sails on a typical day.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Only the tops of the boats' sails were visible to ships approaching from the Atlantic.
—Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2026
The Comets entered the final weekend hopeful to win the MASL Shield, but a pair of overtime defeats to the San Diego Sockers took the wind out of their sails.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Iraq’s surprise invasion in 1980 served as a wind in the sails of the Guards, who saw their role drastically expanded to keep Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s forces at bay.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
Instead of siding with one extreme or the other, he was accused of trimming his sails to take advantage of shifts in the prevailing winds.
—David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Iran has nearly halted traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil sails from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.
—Matt Ott, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
Most tanker movement in the key Strait of Hormuz, where roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil typically sails past Iran’s coastline, remains at a halt.
—Camila Gomez, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Capasecca Yacht Another bespoke yachting experience, Capasecca — featuring four cabins that sleep up to eight guests — sails the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia and Procida, backed by a family with generations of seafaring heritage.
—Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
In response, Iran has nearly halted traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.
—Stan Choe, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
Iran’s actions have effectively stopped cargo traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails.
—Alex Veiga, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Much will depend on what happens with the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast, where roughly a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails.
—Jeremy Tanner, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2026
Kate Stewart, who has carried the Texas offense tonight, sails a long double into center field to score pinch runner Adayah Wallace and now has three of the four Longhorn RBIs.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026
That often sails round-trip from Seattle or Vancouver with stops such as Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan.
—Nathan Diller, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
Two examples of these itineraries are Celebrity’s transatlantic sailing from Orlando, Florida, to Southampton, England (by way of Bermuda and Lisbon), and this 23-day transpacific journey aboard Windstar Cruises, which sails from Tokyo to Vancouver.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2026
Noun
The trimming of the sails comes amid a particularly rocky run for Bad Robot, with several ambitious projects featuring high-wattage talent getting a hard pass or stuck in development hell.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
That was never likely to actually happen, but the ceasefire takes the wind out of the sails of Democrats who had enjoyed the internecine fighting.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2026
The fighting has halted most of the traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off Iran’s coast where a fifth of the world’s oil sails on a typical day.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Only the tops of the boats' sails were visible to ships approaching from the Atlantic.
—Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2026
The Comets entered the final weekend hopeful to win the MASL Shield, but a pair of overtime defeats to the San Diego Sockers took the wind out of their sails.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Iraq’s surprise invasion in 1980 served as a wind in the sails of the Guards, who saw their role drastically expanded to keep Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s forces at bay.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
Instead of siding with one extreme or the other, he was accused of trimming his sails to take advantage of shifts in the prevailing winds.
—David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Iran has nearly halted traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil sails from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.
—Matt Ott, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 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
Verb
-
There’s nothing fancy about a big, square screen that sits upstage of the circular playing area, but the subtlety in which the images and mood flows through the screen greatly enhance the storytelling.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
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After the play-within-a-play, there’s no turning back, and the blood flows like wine or poison.—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But when Willy floats into a conversation with Ben or experiences a memory of Biff’s high-school glory days, golden light floods the stage through a high bank of dirty windows.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Yet the technology for wind power that floats is just emerging, and has never been attempted in waters as deep as the Pacific off Northern California.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Historical context The Portuguese first arrived in India after the navigator Vasco da Gama’s voyages (1497–99, 1502–03, and 1524) opened the sea route from western Europe to Asia around the Cape of Good Hope.—
Sanat Pai RaikarAll,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Some ships even reposition between polar regions or across the Southern Hemisphere—voyages far longer than most standard cruises ever attempt.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
Verb
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Connecticut cruises to a 101-29 win over Long Island University in the first round of the East Regional, the best defensive effort in the history of the women’s NCAA tournament.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
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Harry Styles cruises into the weekend with a new chart crown, as Kiss All The Time.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On a warm Sunday afternoon, Shamim Popal hovers in the kitchen of her Middleburg, Virginia, home, making brunch for her family.—
Liam Scott,
Washington Post,
5 Apr. 2026
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The average for 3-point shooting, pro and college, hovers around 35%.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wandering through the wash, the mind drifts not to the film but to the flash floods that move through this channel after heavy rains, sudden torrents cutting and reshaping the valley floor in a matter of hours.—
Josh Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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Written by Mescudi, Doe explores themes of addiction and survival through the lens of a man living on the streets of Hollywood who, over the course of 24 hours, drifts through a series of encounters that pull him in and out of the cycles of his compulsion.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sails. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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