sailing

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

Examples of sailing in a Sentence

They're going sailing next week.

Recent Examples on the Web

Nobody has more sailings to choose from than Viking, which has some 80 longships plying the continent. —Jeri Clausing, AFAR Media, 26 Feb. 2025

There is a nautical club, a sailing school, boat trips and rentals, scuba diving, seafood vendors and event venues. —Alison Gregor, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

Orphaned at 3 years old and robbed of her fortune, she’s dragged aboard a ship sailing for New France by her guardian, only to be abandoned on a desolate island. —Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Feb. 2025

There’s a 61-slip marina, an 18-hole golf course, a private sailing club, six restaurants and even a school. —Natalie Hoberman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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