sailboat
Americannoun
-
sailboats
plural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sailboat
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How does sailboat compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A sailboat is a relatively small boat that uses wind power to propel it forward. When the wind is strong enough, sailboats can move very quickly. Ahoy! Sailboats, called sailing boats in Britain, can have anywhere from one to as many as five sails. Larger water vessels that move using sails are distinguished as "sailing ships" rather than sailboats. You might take a tour on a schooner, a large sailboat with two masts, or take a sailing lesson in a small, single-sail dingy. No matter which kind of sailboat, it moves by angling its sails into the wind.
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.
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When Dayyan Armstrong and Ross Beane were 16, the stepbrothers pooled together $1,000 for a 24-foot sailboat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Coast Guard did not say what caused the sailboat to run aground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Boatsetter made the booking easy, and because the sailboat was captained by its owner, all I really had to worry about was keeping dinner from burning.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
The ship lacks the usual clanging metal rigging of a modern sailboat, so the two-hour, $80 journey was nearly silent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Dicey made herself stop thinking about the sailboat in her grandmother’s barn.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
They would return when the winds shifted, their traditional dhow sailboats carrying slaves, spices, mangrove poles, ivory and skins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
The Mexican Navy was searching on Friday for two sailboats that went missing while transporting humanitarian aid to crisis-hit Cuba, a week after leaving Mexico.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
It is water-repellent and was originally used on sailboats, external to make them glide better before being introduced to skiing in the 1980s.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
Say goodbye to the gold miner, agricultural lands, sailboats and the shape of the Golden State shown on the backgrounds of existing driver’s licenses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2025
They passed boats crowded as closely together as the cars in a parking lot, motor boats, sailboats and old, worn fishing boats.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
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