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Synonyms

sailing

American  
[sey-ling] / ˈseɪ lɪŋ /

noun

  1. the activity of a person or thing that sails.

  2. the departure of a ship from port.

    The cruise line offers sailings every other day.

  3. Navigation. any of various methods for determining courses and distances by means of charts or with reference to longitudes and latitudes, rhumb lines, great circles, etc.

sailing British  
/ ˈseɪlɪŋ /

noun

  1. the practice, art, or technique of sailing a vessel

  2. a method of navigating a vessel

    rhumb-line sailing

  3. an instance of a vessel's leaving a port

    scheduled for a midnight sailing
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • well-sailing adjective

Etymology

Origin of sailing

before 900; Middle English seiling, Old English seglung. See sail, -ing 1

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.

Lynette Hooker's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told CBS that her mother has been sailing for more than 10 years and is an experienced swimmer.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

All this comes at a time when more people are sailing the high seas than ever before, according to Cruise Lines International Association, the industry trade group.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Two LPG carriers, BW TYR and BW ELM, carrying a combined LPG cargo of about 94,000 tonnes were sailing towards India's coast, the ministry said in a statement.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Some of the most coveted expert-led cruises, such as HX Expeditions’ 17-day sailing to Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard, are sold out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

He didn’t know diddly about ships or sailing, so he had to tell a big fib to get a job as a cabin boy.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.