- present participle of sail.
sailing
Americannoun
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the activity of a person or thing that sails.
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the departure of a ship from port.
The cruise line offers sailings every other day.
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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.
noun
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the practice, art, or technique of sailing a vessel
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a method of navigating a vessel
rhumb-line sailing
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an instance of a vessel's leaving a port
scheduled for a midnight sailing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sailing
before 900; Middle English seiling, Old English seglung. See sail, -ing 1
Explanation
The activity or sport of riding in a boat that's propelled by the wind is sailing. If not even the slightest breeze is blowing, it's not a great day for sailing. Sailing can be as simple as jumping aboard a friend's sailboat and taking a ride on a lake. Being in charge of piloting the boat, shifting the sails, and keeping it moving on the water, is also sailing. If you're curious how it's done, you can take sailing lessons!
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.
Or at least not spend a fortune sailing around and going nowhere.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2026
Upon sailing into the harbor, they realized the frigate was too damaged to sail, so rather than leave it in enemy hands, they burned it to the waterline.
From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026
Tui said customers on the previous sailing had been offered compensation for the disruption to their holiday.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026
Ever Lovely was sailing the fastest, and therefore leading the group.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
The president felt as if “he was himself again” when he saw people swimming and walking at the beach, boats sailing on the ocean, and the soldiers pacing the perimeter of the cottage lawn.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
