sailing

1 of 2

noun

sail·​ing ˈsā-liŋ 

1

a

: the technical skill of managing a ship : navigation

b

: the method of determining the course to be followed to reach a given point

2

a

: the sport of handling or riding in a sailboat

b

: a departure from a port

sailing

2 of 2

present participle of sail entry 2

Examples of sailing in a Sentence

Noun

They're going sailing next week.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

These functions are intended to make the technology easier to operate across changing sailing conditions, while reducing the energy required to generate the bubbles. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 9 Nov. 2026

On September 30th, the passengers who remained on the ship celebrated two years of sailing. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026

For a longer stay, hiking and cycling routes spread out across the Engadin directly from St Moritz, while sailing and paddleboarding can be arranged on the surrounding lakes. — Fergus Scholes, TheWeek, 3 Nov. 2026

Founded in 2023, Villa Vie Residences launched its Odyssey ship on its inaugural sailing from Belfast, Northern Ireland in October 2024 after several months of delays, per the outlet. — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sailing

• clear sailing
• plain sailing
• sailing ship
• smooth sailing

Rhymes for sailing

• ailing
• bailing
• baling
• failing
• flailing
• grayling
• hailing
• jailing
• mailing
• nailing
• paling
• railing