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Synonyms

set sail

Idioms  

  1. Also, make sail. Begin a voyage on water, as in Dad rented a yacht, and we're about to set sail for the Caribbean, or We'll make sail for the nearest port. These expressions, dating from the early 1500s, originally meant “put the sails in position to catch the wind,” and hence cause the vessel to move.

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.

But while the Espiritu Santo is a physical marvel, it will never set sail.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

Some 20 French boats set sail from Marseille on Saturday to join up with an international flotilla making a renewed effort to break an Israeli blockade and deliver aid to Gaza, AFP reporters saw.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Wang said that to set sail, he would need to hear the Iranian Navy saying explicitly that normal traffic can resume.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

An "iconic" ferry that crossed on the River Mersey for 66 years has set sail on its final voyage.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

But he was not free, and the next morning he set sail, going straight south over the wide seas of the Reach.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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.