sails 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of sail
1
as in boats
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

Relevance
2
3
as in floats
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a leaf sailed by, carried by the breeze

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sails

2 of 2

noun

plural of sail
as in voyages
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 sails
Verb
Victory Cruise Lines, which sails on the Great Lakes, says 2026 bookings are up more than 20 percent for itineraries such as a 10-night trip that sails on all five Great Lakes. Jane Wooldridge, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026 Star of the Seas still sails out of Port Canaveral, housing guests on what is tied for the title of world’s largest cruise ship. Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 June 2026 As the ship sails the Antarctic Peninsula, passengers go on excursions, such as taking a Zodiac or kayaking, to view wildlife and immerse themselves in nature. Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 16 June 2026 Odysseus sails closer to Scylla on the advice of Circe, who had identified Charybdis as more dangerous. Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 June 2026 The moment Gabriel sails the penalty kick over the net – and PSG turns nerves into jubilation. Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 May 2026 The crude oil tanker Idemitsu Maru sails through Ise Bay near Chita City in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, May 25, 2026, after becoming the first crude tanker bound for Japan to transit the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war. Mark Osborne, CBS News, 28 May 2026 The neutrino is a nearly weightless particle that sails through matter like a phantasm. Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 May 2026 The line sails year-round from Southern ports including Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Galveston, and New Orleans. Linnea Bailey, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
In New York, tall ships, with their masts, rigging and white sails outlined against a blue sky, made a procession around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River. Steven Sloan, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026 Balancing on a light pole in New York’s Battery Park, Elver and Vanessa Radke attempted to glimpse the tall ships' white sails. Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 5 July 2026 In New York, tall ships, with their masts, rigging and white sails outlined against a blue sky, made a procession around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River, recalling the fanfare around America’s 200th anniversary in 1976. Steven Sloan, Fortune, 5 July 2026 The Dodgers’ sails were becalmed for six innings by Padres starter Michael King, leaving them trailing 3-0 in the seventh. Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 4 July 2026 Fleet management noted that the project offers an opportunity to analyze the physical performance of rigid sails alongside their current operational methods for lowering fleet emissions. Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026 In New York City, a flotilla of tall ships and military vessels will offer parade sails, tours of the ships and more over the July 4 weekend. Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 3 July 2026 Wide teak decks, polished stainless-steel accents, sleek rigging and billowing white sails define the design. Stephanie Orma, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Less than an hour after Starmer's announcement, however, Streeting backed Burnham putting more wind in the King of the North's sails. Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sails
Verb
  • Shrimp boats bob in the harbor, American flags flutter from pastel porches and old oak trees draped in Spanish moss offer cool shade.
    Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Kennebunkport, Maine Lobster boats bob in the waves and beachcombers search for shells.
    Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Composer ties together all aspects of the factory (machines, conveyors, sensors, and logistics flows) into a unified simulation.
    Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026
  • To balance the market next year, flows through the strait need only recover to 65% of their pre-conflict level.
    Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • This time the fly lands just above the spot and floats its way down.
    Ralph Tuttle, Outdoor Life, 25 June 2026
  • When the tank is full, the robot automatically floats to the surface and parks itself in a corner of the pool for emptying, which is a breeze thanks to a pop-out basket.
    K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 25 June 2026
Noun
  • New to Alaska this year is MSC Cruises, which will have its MSC Poesia doing round-trip voyages from Seattle.
    Jane Wooldridge, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
  • The ship is currently operating Alaska voyages, according to CruiseMapper.
    Nathan Diller, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • The blockage of the strait, which normally ferries 20% of the world's oil, sent global energy prices soaring.
    Kevin Breuninger,Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Iran has effectively halted trade traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the maritime trade route that ferries roughly 20% of the world’s petroleum.
    Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Taking off from a base beside Harry Reid International Airport, the chopper cruises up the east side of The Strip — high above The Sphere — before looping around downtown Las Vegas and down Interstate-15 along the west side of The Strip.
    Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • France cruises past Sweden, 3-0 France is through to the Round of 16 after blowing away Sweden, 3-0, with star man Kylian Mbappé scoring twice to ease passage to the next phase.
    Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • As a result, Skywalkers hovers between a sense of constant performance and disarming immediacy — the latter generally during the many vertigo-inducing drone shots of Ivan and Angela’s hair-raising accomplishments.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 July 2026
  • Their water content hovers around 16%, and butter is made up of 1-4% vitamins, minerals, lactose and protein.
    Rosemary Trout, Scientific American, 27 June 2026
Verb
  • For fireworks, this means that visibility Friday along the coast could be impaired as the marine layer drifts in and out, but visibility will generally be much better Saturday, especially just a few miles inland.
    Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
  • Confrontation, feedback, accountability, the naming of a difficult dynamic, all of it drifts upward to the person in charge.
    Heidi Brooks, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sails. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on sails

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster