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

Cruise ships kept sailing after coronavirus was detected helped carry the virus around the globeCindi fell ill as soon as they arrived home.

From Washington Post

Even among Democrats, negotiations over what should and shouldn’t be done on the economy aren’t going to be smooth sailing.

From Vox

A thing that’s important to note up front is that mobile wasn’t one of those industries where everything was smooth sailing before everything got upended by a pandemic.

From TechCrunch

Having spent so much time in Africa, they know it won’t all be smooth sailing.

From Ozy

After that comes clear sailing, or hiking, or biking, throughout the weekend.

From Washington Post

But instead he pursued a life of science, sailing all over the world to study animal species and their environments.

From The Daily Beast

They have grace, ambition, and sure make sailing a whole lot more interesting.

From The Daily Beast

Below lies the turquoise waters of the caldera, flecked with the white triangles of sailing boats.

From The Daily Beast

The book begins with Jack sailing on a British army supply ship heading for Africa during World War II.

From The Daily Beast

You write in the books that ship technology—boats sailing the ocean—was what got people to care about science.

From The Daily Beast

This was very agreeable; but he was, nevertheless, greatly relieved when a boat came in sight sailing toward him.

From Project Gutenberg

I've been sailing one way for ever so long, because I don't know how to turn around; but there's a landing-place just ahead.

From Project Gutenberg

I have never seen Newport, and passed exactly a week in New York before sailing.

From Project Gutenberg

American vessels made occasional trips outside the Bay, and brought in captive sailing-vessels.

From Project Gutenberg

All the small steamers and sailing-craft in the river moved up as near as possible to the Puente de España.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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