sail

[[t]se͟ɪl[/t]]

♦♦♦

sails, sailing, sailed

1) N-COUNT Sails are large pieces of material attached to the mast of a ship. The wind blows against the sails and pushes the ship along.

The white sails billow with the breezes they catch.

2) VERB You say a ship sails when it moves over the sea.

[V prep/adv] The trawler had sailed from the port of Zeebrugge...

[V prep/adv] The Kruzenshtern is expected to sail for Boston this week.

3) V-ERG If you sail a boat or if a boat sails, it moves across water using its sails.

[V n prep] I shall get myself a little boat and sail her around the world...

[V adv/prep] For nearly two hundred miles she sailed on, her sails hard with ice...

She sails beautifully in winds over 60 knots.

4) VERB If a person or thing sails somewhere, they move there smoothly and fairly quickly.

[V prep/adv] We got into the lift and sailed to the top floor...

[V prep/adv] He launched the folded envelope and it sailed across the room.

5) → See also sailing

6) PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR prep When a ship sets sail, it leaves a port.

He loaded his vessel with another cargo and set sail...

Christopher Columbus set sail for the New World in the Santa Maria.

7) PHRASE If you cross the sea under sail, you cross it in a ship that has sails rather than an engine.

...the challenge and fun of going to sea under sail.

...a big ship under sail.

8) to sail close to the wind → see wind

to take the wind out of someone's sails → see wind

Phrasal Verbs:

- sail through