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
- well-sailing adjective
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.
The Euphoria later resumed sailing toward the Gulf of Oman, according to Lloyd’s List.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Several Iranian-linked vessels also appear to have turned off their transponders while sailing out of the Gulf before reappearing in the Arabian Sea, satellite imagery seen by maritime firms apparently confirming their route.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
It wasn’t all smooth sailing on Monday as the federal government started the process of accepting claims for massive amounts of tariff refunds.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026
The Touska was sailing to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas when it was warned repeatedly over a six hours by the USS Spruance, a guided-missile destroyer, that it was violating the blockade, U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
Earlier that year, the Coast Guard had spotted the I’m Alone in the Gulf of Mexico, sailing in coastal lanes that rumrunners often used.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
