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.
Hannah Schafer, a 62-year-old sailing instructor, said the aim was to open the humanitarian corridor to Gaza.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
A former corporate lawyer, Feldstein Soto squeaked through the primary before sailing to victory in her bid for the position in 2022.
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026
Unlike the previous shipments, which were carried by the Mexican navy, Monday's aid consignment was transported by a merchant ship, sailing under a Panamanian flag, AFP journalists observed.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
A 2022 Oceanwide sailing charted an island on the Antarctic coast that had not been mapped formally in more than 100 years.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
Under the direction of the king’s brother-in-law Charles Brandon, extremely strong cables were attached to the Mary Rose and then fastened to two large surface ships sailing on either side of the sunken vessel.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
