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
As the boat sails away, the Creature quietly stares into the sunrise with a smile on his face. Yasmeen Hamadeh, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025 The voyage takes off from Miami, travels to Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas then sails back to Miami. Katie Bain, Billboard, 27 Oct. 2025 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
Noun
So all that wind in my sails carried me back up to Auckland to tell my crew. Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025 Gales tore at the Mary’s sails, and surf crashed across the brig’s deck. Adam L. Rovner, The Conversation, 31 Oct. 2025 The wind whips across the peak, marked as per usual around here with a pile of stones and colorful prayer flags tied to the top like sails on the mast of a ship. Joe Baur, Outside, 31 Oct. 2025 In a nutshell, the Trojan prince Paris sails to Sparta to capture Helen, the beautiful wife of the king of Sparta, Menelaus. Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025 Their characteristic projecting spines serve both as flotation modulators (via a complex process akin to raising and lowering protoplasmic sails) and as masts permitting the cell to extend itself outward into the surrounding water and feed. Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025 Light sails and giant lasers might get you some of the way there. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 Oct. 2025 Pure Amazon sails three-, four-, and seven-night itineraries from Nauta, which is about an hour-and-a-half drive from the airport in Iquitos. Jeri Clausing, AFAR Media, 21 Oct. 2025 Celia Imrie has put some wind in the sails of The Celebrity Traitors’ viewing figures. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
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
  • Walk through the front door and the layout flows uninterrupted into multiple living areas highlighted by warm cherry wood accents, fine architectural details and an abundance of natural light.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Each actress nails the comedic timing – and the accented English that flows with the cadence of their mother tongues.
    Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The soft, breathable cotton blend fabric floats away from the body and can be worn both over a shirt and under a jacket.
    Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Whereas therapy looks backward to heal, and self-help often floats in abstraction, Space of mind looks forward, quantifying how identity, beliefs, and emotions evolve over time.
    Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Regent Seven Seas Cruises are also all-inclusive and take travelers on grand voyages across Asia and Europe, around Australia and Africa, and up and down America’s coastlines.
    Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Administration officials say the task force will soon shift operations ashore because traffickers are now less willing to risk voyages that can be detected and targeted at sea.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The fanciest, most famous restaurants are still doing mostly table service, but just about every other establishment has been conscripted into the army that ferries hot food out of professional kitchens and into American mouths 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
    Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Mirage ferries Noah to the Autobots' rendezvous point, much to Optimus Prime's dismay.
    Rendy Jones August 27, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Held each year on the Saturday before Veterans Day, the procession typically begins at noon in Milam Park and cruises its way through downtown along historic Houston Street.
    Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
  • 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
Verb
  • National runner-up Houston also hovers near the top of the odds as well.
    Scott Phillips, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The population here hovers around 250, and there’s just one grocery store—but intrepid guests will find themselves in stunning, rugged landscapes with few people around.
    Mae Hamilton, Travel + Leisure, 1 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • This could then support the idea of a relic magnetic field existing in the intergalactic medium, the matter that drifts between galaxies.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Music drifts through the salt air as roadside vendors fry fish on bare concrete slabs, their foodstands long washed away.
    David Culver, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sails. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.

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