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 Word Forms

• 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

The accusations come after the Royal Navy released images in March of a Russian warship that it tracked sailing near British waters.

From BBC

Long Beach hosted the sailing competition in the 1984 Olympics and is set to host several other sports in 2028, including water polo, handball and triathlon.

From Los Angeles Times

It hasn’t been smooth sailing in the music press though.

From Los Angeles Times

Biggar admitted wearing the prestigious 10 shirt for Wales "hasn't always been plain sailing and easy", but it helped to make him a stronger person and player.

From BBC

“I anticipated driving my car for quite some time, sailing through the tariffs, but now I’m faced smack up against them.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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