How to Use sail in a Sentence

sail

1 of 2 noun
  • Wind filled the sails and our journey had begun.
  • The project is now ready to set sail.
    — Ben Croll, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
  • What’s the best sun shade sail to buy?
    — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026
  • Does a shade sail protect from rain?
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
  • Will a shade sail endure strong winds?
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
  • Four friends have set out on a leisurely sail on an open sea.
    — James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
  • Light sails and giant lasers might get you some of the way there.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
  • But critics warned the shade sails might blow away in a stiff wind.
    — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Gales tore at the Mary’s sails, and surf crashed across the brig’s deck.
    — Adam L. Rovner, The Conversation, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Admirers of the shade sails gave them a thumbs up.
    — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
  • This allows the small light sail to deploy much faster.
    — Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 15 Jan. 2026
  • The idea behind the sail system dates back more than a decade.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 15 Mar. 2026
  • When lakes freeze over, some Chicagoans decide to set sail.
    — Noel Brennan, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Under sail, the boat has no engine noise.
    — Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Under merge as the women set sail.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Under merge as the women set sail.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
  • See the dream sail in on moonlit waves and feel the swell of its prow in your blood.
    — Literary Hub, 19 June 2026
  • These ships arrive in Venezuela, pick up oil and then set sail.
    — Francisco J. Monaldi, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
  • Once more, her little face unfurls her sails.
    — Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
  • What’s the best triangle shade sail to buy?
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
  • Soulshine at Sea 3 won’t set sail as planned.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 18 Aug. 2025
  • The sail should slope slightly downward so that rain doesn’t pool.
    — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026
  • Those daily lists are enough to take the wind out of any creative sails.
    — Kristen Arnett august 21, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Students also learn to work as a team to rig, sail and de-rig the boat.
    — Jessie Dax-Setkus, Oc Register, 22 Mar. 2026
  • Those who knew how to navigate could set sail for new islands.
    — Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The cilia on her sails begin beating out of sync.
    — Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
  • The sail is pulled taut to cover as much area as possible.
    — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026
  • Two new cruise lines will set sail from Milwaukee next year.
    — Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • But wispy flighty sails cannot express devotion to a stone.
    — Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Shield a modern backyard from the house next door with an oversized shade sail.
    — Cori Sears, The Spruce, 29 Apr. 2026

sail

2 of 2 verb
  • We'll sail along the coast.
  • We sat on the shore watching boats sail by.
  • The ship was sailed by a crew of 8.
  • He sailed around the world on a luxury liner.
  • I've been sailing since I was a child.
  • She's sailing a boat in tomorrow's race.
  • She sailed the Atlantic coastline.
  • They sail for San Francisco next week.
  • We sail at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
  • That ship sailed a long time ago.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
  • But Lawrence’s throw sailed high.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The ball sailed out of reach and out of the end zone.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Her skis sailed out from under her.
    — Will Graves, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Where will Hero of the Seas sail?
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Where does Star of the Seas sail?
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
  • This ship has, like, well and truly sailed.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Navies have to be built to sail into harm’s way.
    — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
  • To recharge, these vessels had to sail back to a coastal port.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 6 May 2026
  • His troops, with no ships to sail home on, had no choice but to fight forward.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Now the ball was in the air, sailing toward the end zone.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Iran has threatened to set fire to ships sailing the strait.
    — ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Three ships sail the world to advance the group's causes.
    — CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Three ships sail the world to advance the group’s causes.
    — ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026
  • The quick turnaround ship is sailing away.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 12 May 2026
  • Otherwise, the wave will sail right by.
    — Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Where will Legend of the Seas sail?
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The Low Carb Cruise has sailed 20 times.
    — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2026
  • The right-hander’s first pitch sailed to the backstop, a sign of things to come.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 10 June 2026
  • The problem for Johnson is that ship sailed long ago.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
  • Moana and Maui are sailing back to the big screen, very quickly.
    — Lindsey Bahr, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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