sail 1 of 2

verb

Definition of sailnext
1
as in to boat
to travel on water in a vessel I can't sail when there's any breeze at all because I get seasick easily

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to flow
to move or proceed smoothly and readily sailed through the latest assignment

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a leaf sailed by, carried by the breeze

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sail

2 of 2

noun

ˈsāl How to pronounce sail (audio)
as in voyage
a journey over water in a vessel we went for a brief sail on the bay to relax

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sail
Verb
Meanwhile, Iran continues to struggle to sail its own tankers through the waterway because of a US naval blockade. — Lou Robinson, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 In a different quarter the headline for this story might’ve been that Georgia — which had been hard-hit by the departure of Marvel superhero projects that sailed overseas to the United Kingdom — is bouncing back. — Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
Five retractable, 35-meter rigid sails double as solar panels; when wind drives the ship, propellers generate electricity onboard. — Ashlea Halpern, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 One of the ships is registered to Guinea-Bissau but the other one, the Chelsea-3, is Ukrainian-owned, registered in Odesa and sails under the flag of Malta, a European Union member. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sail
  1. boat
  2. flow
  3. hover
  4. voyage
  5. ferry
  6. cruise
  7. float
  8. glide
Verb
  • Its location in an industrial working waterway won’t provide glorious views, but there’s something whimsical about hot tub boating on a summer’s evening, especially with a local Driftwood beer in hand.
    — Adrienne Matei, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The 334-acre reservoir allows for boating, including sailboats, jet skiing, paddleboarding and kayaking.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of boat
Verb
  • From there, wine flowed as attendees tucked into filet mignon and sea bass while chatting across large burgundy floral centerpieces.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Some of the weapons from American manufacturers purchased during the Biden administration are still flowing to Ukraine, but many of those contracts have been fulfilled.
    — Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of flow
Verb
  • With a police helicopter hovering overhead, police started using tear gas and a water cannon in an effort to move the protesters back.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Daytime temperatures hovered in the upper 40s to low 50s this week in Halifax, with overnight lows in the 30s, according to weather reports.
    — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of hover
Noun
  • The nearly 1,000-foot (305-meter) vessel shattered the transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The golden age of voyages on board tramp steamers and banana boats was the first half of the 20th century.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of voyage
Verb
  • The truckers that have managed to ferry water into Taiz have in some cases tripled their rates to make the perilous journey.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Blue Origin and SpaceX each have multibillion-dollar contracts with the US space agency to develop vehicles capable of ferrying astronauts from NASA’s Orion spacecraft down to the lunar surface.
    — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of ferry
Verb
  • Gazza, who has been cruising along all episode, doesn’t bowl the judges over with his treacle pudding or his Black Forest gâteau, which is a little bit shocking.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • From the Med, the liner will cruise southwest across the Atlantic to arrive in Saint John’s—the port from which the Caribbean season will unfold.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruise
Verb
  • Diversification into more reliable sectors, including tourism, has been floated as a means to bring in the hard currency needed to allow the nation more access to global markets.
    — Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026
  • As emerging economies and coastal hubs face growing power shortfalls, modular floating plants offer a way to secure grid capacity while keeping the door open to future hydrogen adoption.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of float
Verb
  • After a brief safety lesson on navigating the course and its cables, participants can ride a zip line into the park, gliding 60 feet above the quarry floor at speeds exceeding 30 mph.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Instead, look for a lip liner that glides on smoothly but has enough grip to keep color from migrating beyond the lip line.
    — Sheryl George, Allure, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of glide

Phrases Containing sail

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said uncle
sail
sailboat
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Cite this Entry

“Sail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sail. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on sail

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sail

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