sailing

[ sey-ling ]

noun

1. the activity of a person or thing that sails.
2. the departure of a ship from port:

   The cruise line offers sailings every other day.

3. 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.

sailing

/ ˈseɪlɪŋ /

noun

1. the practice, art, or technique of sailing a vessel
2. a method of navigating a vessel

   rhumb-line sailing

3. an instance of a vessel's leaving a port

   scheduled for a midnight sailing

Other Words From

• well-sailing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sailing¹

before 900; Middle English seiling, Old English seglung. See sail, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Catamarans consist of two parallel hulls connected by a single deck, and range from lightweight boats used in Olympic sailing, to huge passenger ferries.

From BBC

On Sunday she will begin the Vendée Globe race from the French coast, sailing solo and non-stop for three months around the world, before returning to France at the end of January.

From BBC

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates for a second straight time on Thursday in an effort to keep the economy sailing along by easing the high borrowing costs it engineered to fight inflation.

From Los Angeles Times

The Royal Navy's carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, sailing nearby, provided a reminder of Europe's more modest defences.

From BBC

I am not even implying that it was a sinister or bullying entity, but like a giant oil tanker sailing at 20 knots, it had irresistible force and momentum.

From Salon

Related Words

• escape
• evacuation
• exit
• exodus
• flight
• passage
• removal
• retirement
• retreat
• separation
• takeoff
• walkout
• withdrawal