sails 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of sail
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
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

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

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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
Royal Caribbean sails itineraries to 270-plus destinations in 60-plus countries on six continents. Jessica Peralta, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025 Researchers know about the wrecks because reporting any commercial ship that sails on the lakes is required; from the early 19th century to the 20th century, about 40,000 ships sailed the Great Lakes, Baillod said. Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025 Disney Cruise Line Disney sails Halloween on the High Seas voyages in September and October, where passengers will find special decor – including a magical Halloween tree – themed desserts and drinks and other festive activities. Nathan Diller, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025 Aqua Blu, a former yacht of the Campari family reimagined as a 30-cabin expedition yacht, sails week-long routes from Bali through Komodo and up to Raja Ampat. Lela London, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025 The 210-passenger Pearl Mist is a slightly larger, more modern ship that sails the lakes exclusively all summer. Jeri Clausing, AFAR Media, 22 Aug. 2025 The former typically sails out of Port Canaveral in Orlando, according to the Carnival Cruise Lines’ website, while the latter has routes out of Jacksonville, Florida. Addy Bink, The Hill, 17 Aug. 2025 Like the Icon of the Seas, which currently sails out of Miami, Star of the Seas is organized into eight neighborhoods each designed for different activities and age groups. Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2025 The vessel currently sails under the Indonesian flag, based on MarineTraffic vessel information. Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
Anemoi revealed that the sails were transported by barge and lifted directly onto the deck. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025 For its part, American Cruise Lines operates a fleet of 28 ships and sails exclusively in the United States, including along the Mississippi River, on the Columbia and Snake rivers, across Alaska, and beyond. Katie Nadworny, Travel + Leisure, 30 Sep. 2025 The prototypes were spherical wire frames containing sails; in the wind tunnel, they were put through their paces on different surfaces, including rough and smooth terrain, sand, pebbles and boulder fields. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 30 Sep. 2025 And on the north coast, Sandals Ochi in Ocho Rios and Sandals Dunn’s River properties offer catamaran sails to Jamaica’s most iconic attraction, Dunn’s River Falls. AFAR Media, 27 Sep. 2025 The Puspha also uses the name Boracay and sails under the flag of Benin, according to the Ukrainian government. David Brennan, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2025 At the same time, the firm decided to optimize its know-how in the production of racing sails to produce clothing for crews, handcrafting highly technical and functional garments in the same sail lofts where the sails were made. Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2025 Well, not with actual sails, but the TCU Nursing School graduate was on a nautical vessel as part of a pilot program for Mercy Ships. Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Sep. 2025 Rolex SailGP Chris Travers worked on business development for Formula 1 sports car racing before transitioning to the world of sails. Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sails
Verb
  • Kennebunkport, Maine Lobster boats bob in the waves and beachcombers search for shells.
    Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Air flows through modular containers filled with these coated filters.
    Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Although SoCal Edison can prevent electrical fires by shutting off the power that flows through the lines, the utility did not turn the power off to most circuits that power Altadena.
    Chiara Eisner, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Dunk the ends of a lock of your hair in a cup of water (or take a bath, any excuse), and see if your hair floats, sinks, or stays somewhere in the middle.
    Talia Gutierrez, Glamour, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The living room is anchored by a fireplace; the library’s floor-to-ceiling bookshelves speak to Ertegun’s love of arts and culture; an all-white kitchen has a span of butcher block counters as its only color; and the top-floor primary bedroom floats high above the landscape.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The first container ships started going through the Arctic more than a decade ago, but usually on specialized, ad hoc voyages, Humpert told CNN.
    Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The voyages are designed to make traveling alone easy, with open seating in the dining room and small exploration groups.
    Jeri Clausing, AFAR Media, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Mirage ferries Noah to the Autobots' rendezvous point, much to Optimus Prime's dismay.
    Rendy Jones August 27, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The 9- and 14-day cruises explore cities like Syracuse, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and mark the first Great Lakes cruises for the company.
    Katie Nadworny, Travel + Leisure, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The Boats’ Itineraries In the South In Provence, the six cabin Napoléon cruises the Rhône from Tain L’Hermitage to Avignon, stopping for a truffle excursion in Grignan, to allow guests to explore local markets or to bicycle through lavender fields.
    Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • One of the most important phenomena in high-altitude Sonoma vineyards is the inversion layer, the blanket of fog that hovers between 800 and 1,800 feet throughout many mornings of the growing season.
    Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2025
  • No aura of ambiguity hovers over Catherine Leroy’s photographs.
    Louis Menand, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Still, Nevo's mind often drifts to the moment in Gaza when Palestinian militants detonated explosives in a home, wounding him and killing two close friends in his army unit.
    Daniel Estrin, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025
  • If Humberto drifts east and the jet stream’s influence dominates, the future Imelda could be drawn into the Southeast coast.
    Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sails. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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