was sailing
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past progressiveof sail.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
sailnounan area of canvas or other fabric extended to the wind in such a way as to transmit the force of the wind to an assemblage of spars and rigging mounted firmly on a hull, raft, iceboat, etc., so as to drive it along.
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.
Marshall Islands-flagged vehicle carrier Liu Jiang Kou was sailing to Saudi Arabia's Jeddah port from China before completely changing course on Monday in the Gulf of Aden.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The Hondius, now carrying close to 150 passengers, started out in Argentina on April 1 and was sailing north on a 33-day journey.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
The MV Touska belongs to a subsidiary of a sanctioned Iranian state-owned group and was sailing to Iran after visiting China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
The tanker flew the flag of Guinea, but an on-board inspection confirmed suspicions that it was sailing under a false flag, the office said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026
He was sailing without lights, and so was more aware of the night than he had ever been.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
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