afloat
adjective or adverb
1
a
: borne on or as if on the water
b
: being at sea
2
: free of difficulties : self-sufficient
the inheritance kept them afloat for years
3
a
: circulating about
Silly rumors were afloat.
b
: adrift
Examples of afloat in a Sentence
the boat can't stay afloat much longer
Recent Examples on the Web
The organization does not receive federal assistance to purchase food, and relies on donations from the community as well as big box stores like Walmart and Trader Joe’s to stay afloat.
—
Amanda McCoy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Nov. 2025
Princess Beatrice is still afloat amid her father’s title being stripped.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 Nov. 2025
If these elections had gone the other way — if the Democratic Party had underperformed or even lost one of these contests — then every commentator under the sun would say, rightfully, that Democrats were in disarray; that even the president’s deep unpopularity couldn’t keep them afloat with voters.
—Jamelle Bouie, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
For now, Russia retains enough redundancy and repair capacity to keep the system afloat.
—Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2025
The new plan is cognizant of the need to maintain a strong manufacturing base, particularly among beleaguered industrial farms and other older industries struggling to stay afloat.
—Shaoyu Yuan, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2025
The question has extra resonance at a time when local deficits and federal cuts are forcing leaders to make tough choices about which programs stay afloat.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2025
Even the fact that Refiberd doesn’t need a lot of financing to keep itself afloat because of the nature of its technology is a nice bit of happenstance.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 31 Oct. 2025
The team is off to a slow start offensively, but Jalen Brunson is putting up big numbers to keep them afloat.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Amanda McCoy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Nov. 2025
Princess Beatrice is still afloat amid her father’s title being stripped.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 Nov. 2025
If these elections had gone the other way — if the Democratic Party had underperformed or even lost one of these contests — then every commentator under the sun would say, rightfully, that Democrats were in disarray; that even the president’s deep unpopularity couldn’t keep them afloat with voters.
—Jamelle Bouie, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
For now, Russia retains enough redundancy and repair capacity to keep the system afloat.
—Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2025
The new plan is cognizant of the need to maintain a strong manufacturing base, particularly among beleaguered industrial farms and other older industries struggling to stay afloat.
—Shaoyu Yuan, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2025
The question has extra resonance at a time when local deficits and federal cuts are forcing leaders to make tough choices about which programs stay afloat.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2025
Even the fact that Refiberd doesn’t need a lot of financing to keep itself afloat because of the nature of its technology is a nice bit of happenstance.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 31 Oct. 2025
The team is off to a slow start offensively, but Jalen Brunson is putting up big numbers to keep them afloat.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Afloat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afloat. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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