Synonyms

sailboat

American

[seyl-boht] / ˈseɪlˌboʊt /

noun

a boat having sails as its principal means of propulsion.

Other Word Forms

sailboater noun
sailboating noun

Etymology

Origin of sailboat

First recorded in 1790–1800; sail + boat

Compare meaning

How does sailboat compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

yacht vs. sailboat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The author recounts the stories of three contestants in the 1968 Golden Globe around-the-world solo sailboat race.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Vaughan had been on the boat with her husband and two children, aged 12 and eight, and had been sunbathing when the motorboat crashed into a sailboat carrying party-goers.

From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025

On the front of the postcard you can see our workboat Nemo and our sailboat Fonn, where we live.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2025

Legally speaking, this makes owning a mobile home more akin to owning a motorcycle or sailboat than a single-family home.

From Salon • Mar. 16, 2025

The DiAngelos’ sailboat bobbed nearby in its slip, and their powerboat sat gleaming on a boat lift beside it.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023