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to sail around

to sail around

7 3.2
Travel by boat around a place like a coast or lake
  • phrasal verb
  • /seɪl əˈraʊnd/
translation icon : navegar alrededor
  • Without the support of my family and with barely enough money, I sailed around Cape Horn to California.
  • sail around the world

It's not just to sail around for its own sake.

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Examples

Synonyms

to sail
vsto sail around
275 1.0

To travel on water in a boat, often using large fabric to catch wind

is about traveling by boat in a circuit around a particular place
to circle
vsto sail around
210 1.8

To move around something in a circle

is about water travel in a circuit around a particular area or place
to round
vsto sail around
88 3.0

Move around something following a curved path

is specifically about water travel in circuits around particular places
to navigate
vsto sail around
38 3.8

Plan and control the route of a vehicle like a ship or plane

is about actual water travel around places rather than directing the route
to circle around
vsto sail around
21 2.3

Move in a round path around someone or something

is focused on traveling by boat in a circuit around places
to cruise around
vsto sail around
12 4.1

To drive slowly around an area without a specific destination

is for water travel in a planned circuit or along a route
to boat
vsto sail around
10 1.0

To travel on water in a small vehicle like a rowboat or motorboat

is focused on travelling along a route or circuit on water
to circumnavigate
vsto sail around
6 8.3

To travel all the way around something, for example the world, by ship or plane

is for water travel in a circuit that may not go completely around
to canoe
vsto sail around
5 2.6

To travel in a narrow light boat using a paddle

is about making a circuit by boat around places rather than short paddling trips
to voyage
vsto sail around
3 4.0

To travel by ship or boat over a long distance

is for travel by boat around a particular area rather than long distances
to compass
vsto sail around
  • Archaic
7.7

To travel all the way around something, for example the world or an island

is about water travel in a circuit often around a local area
to yacht
vsto sail around
7.0

To travel on a large pleasure boat for fun

is about moving by boat in a circuit around a specific place
to motorboating
vsto sail around
3.0

To drive a boat with a motor on water

is about circuit travel by boat or yacht, not just short powered trips
to circle round
vsto sail around
3.5

Move around something or someone in a circle

is used for water travel in a path that goes around a place
to windsurfing
vsto sail around
3.4

To stand on a board with a sail and move across water using wind

is about traveling by boat in a circuit rather than a board sport

Antonyms

51 3.4

To hold something in place so it does not move

Not move from a place

How Far

to sail around
7 3.2
sail
38 1.4

Surface Forms

sail around infinitive
sailed around past participle
sailing around present participle
sails around third person singular

Morphology

sail + around

The meaning 'to travel by boat in a circuit or around a place' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'sail' (to go by boat) with 'around' (in a circular path or around something), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the meaning. This motion verb + directional adverb pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically, making the construction immediately comprehensible.

Etymology

Sail around paints a simple picture: imagine a boat going all the way around an island, coast, or lake. Because sail means to travel by boat and around shows going in a circle or following a route, the phrase means 'to go around a place by boat'.