Noun
Wind filled the sails and our journey had begun.
raising and lowering the ship's sails
a sail to San Francisco Verb
We'll sail along the coast.
He sailed around the world on a luxury liner.
She sailed the Atlantic coastline.
She's sailing a boat in tomorrow's race.
The ship was sailed by a crew of 8.
I've been sailing since I was a child.
a ship that has sailed the seven seas
We sat on the shore watching boats sail by.
We sail at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
They sail for San Francisco next week.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Their wedding was officiated by the vessel’s captain after setting sail in the Caribbean.—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 3 July 2024 Luminara is slated to set sail in July 2025, carrying out one round-trip to Rome before cruising the Mediterranean and the Asia-Pacific region.—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 June 2024
Verb
Book now at Windstar Cruises A Cruise Croatia ship sailing the gorgeous Dalmatian Coast.—Paris Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 July 2024 Instead, Frances is a new invention, sailing in on the breeze from the past to the present.—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 28 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for sail
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English segl; akin to Old High German segal sail
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
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