sail
verb uk/seɪl/ us/seɪl/
(TRAVEL)
B2 [ I usually + adv/prep ]（船）航行，行驶
When a boat or a ship sails, it travels on the water.
The boat sailed along/down the coast. 那艘船沿着海岸航行。
As the battleship sailed by/past, everyone on deck waved. 战舰驶过时，甲板上所有的人都挥手致意。
The ship was sailing to China. 这艘船驶往中国。
B1 [ I or T, usually + adv/prep ]驾驶帆船
to control a boat that has no engine and is pushed by the wind
He sailed the dinghy up the river. 他驾驶着小游艇沿河逆流而上。
She sailed around the world single-handed in her yacht. 她独自一人驾驶帆船周游了整个世界。
[ I ]启航，开船
When a ship sails, it starts travelling, and when people sail from a particular place or at a particular time, they start travelling in a ship.
Their ship sails for Bombay next Friday. 他们的船下周五启航去孟买。
- More examples
- If we sail in a southeastward direction we'll reach land.
- I'd like to learn to sail, but I haven't the time .
- The Kon-Tiki sailed across the Pacific Ocean propelled by wind power.
- We sailed slowly down the river.
- We sailed in a southwestward direction.
(MOVE QUICKLY)
[ I + adv/prep ]轻快地移动;（人）自信地行走
to move quickly, easily, and (of a person) confidently
The ball went sailing over the fence. 球飞过了花园的围栏。
He wasn't looking where he was going, and just sailed straight into her. 他走路时没有注意，和她撞个正着。
Manchester United sailed on (= continued easily) to victory in the final. 曼联队很轻松地取得了决赛的胜利。
Idioms
sail against the windidiom 逆人心而动
to be trying to achieve something that is unlikely to succeed because most people would oppose it
He's sailing against the wind in his attempt to stop women joining the club. 他不顾众人反对，试图阻止女性享受这个俱乐部的服务。
sail close to the windidiom 冒风险（干危险、几近违法或逾规的事情）
to do something that is dangerous or only just legal or acceptable
You were sailing a little close to the wind there when you made those remarks about his wife. 你那么说他的妻子可有点儿冒险。
Phrasal verbs
sail in (also sail into something)热心地开始
to start an activity enthusiastically
The children sailed into the pile of cakes and in minutes the cakes were gone. 孩子们兴高采烈地开始吃蛋糕，不一会蛋糕就被吃完了。
Mary sailed in with a story about her first job. 玛丽兴致勃勃地讲起有关她第一份工作的故事。
informal (also sail into someone)抨击
to attack someone using words
The president sailed into her opponents with an angry speech. 总统用激愤的言辞抨击她的对手。
sail through (something) 顺利通过（尤指考试）
to succeed very easily in something, especially a test
Rachel sailed through her finals and got A's in everything. 蕾切尔顺利地通过了考试，所有科目都得了A。
You can't expect to just sail through without doing any work. 你不能指望不做任何努力就可以顺利通过。
sail
noun uk/seɪl/ us/seɪl/
(MATERIAL)
C2 [ C ]帆
a sheet of material attached to a pole on a boat to catch the wind and make the boat move
to hoist/lower the sails 扬／收帆
[ C ]（风车的）翼板
On a windmill, a sail is any of the wide blades that are turned by the wind in order to produce power.
(TRAVEL)
[ S ]（乘船的）航行，航程
a journey by boat or ship
It's two days' sail/It's a two-day sail (= a journey of two days by sea) from here to the nearest island. 从这里坐船到最近的岛屿需要航行两天。
set sailC2 启航，开船
to begin a boat journey
set sail from We set sail from Kuwait. 我们从科威特启航。
set sail for They set sail for France. 他们启航驶往法国。
The vessel was repaired and scheduled to set sail again later in the month.
The first two boats set sail across the North Sea on 3 September.
The vessel had set sail on heavy seas and quickly sank.
Idiom
under sailidiom literary 扬帆航行
travelling in a boat or ship with sails
After ten hours under sail, they reached dry land. 经过10个小时的航行，他们抵达了陆地。