sail
/seɪl/ verb B2- To be impelled or driven forward by the action of wind upon sails, as a ship on water; to be impelled on a body of water by steam or other power.
- To move through or on the water; to swim, as a fish or a waterfowl.
- To ride in a boat, especially a sailboat.
- To set sail; to begin a voyage. · We sail for Australia tomorrow.
- To move briskly and gracefully through the air.
- To move briskly but sedately. · The duchess sailed haughtily out of the room.
- To deal out (cards) from a distance by impelling them across a surface.
He/she/it sails · Past sailed · Past participle sailed · -ing form sailing
Verb forms
- Base form
- sail
- He/she/it
- sails
- Past
- sailed
- Past participle
- sailed
- -ing form
- sailing
Phrasal verbs and expressions
From the library
I shut my eyes and sail away
Sailing blossoms, silver fishes,
Of a ship that goes a-sailing on the pond;
How to send my vessel sailing on beyond.
Other matches
Learn sail in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.