afloat
adjective or adverb
Examples of afloat in a Sentence
Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2023
After being afloat off the coast of France from June 1 to 5, A Company began landing on Utah Beach on June 6, and by June 8 one platoon had brought four tanks ashore, the reports say.
—Glenn Kessler, Anchorage Daily News, 26 July 2023
As the morning unspooled, these gave way to a creamy wash of slate blue and pearl gray, revealing our camp to be afloat on an ocean of gently swelling rocky dunes that stretched to the distant purple Atlas Mountains, whose peaks were luminous beneath fresh snow.
—Caity Weaver, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2023
The bill is the latest effort by the federal government to help keep afloat businesses that have had to close or dramatically alter their operations as states try to slow the spread of the virus.
—Andrew Taylor, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Apr. 2020
On Friday, Trump signed a $484 billion bill to aid employers and hospitals under stress from the pandemic — the latest federal effort to help keep afloat businesses that have had to close or scale down.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Apr. 2020
The prospect of news outlets turning to the government for financial assistance to keep afloat raises obvious questions about how organizations can maintain independence and objectivity.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2020
The American vessels included the USS Paul Hamilton, a Navy destroyer and the USS Lewis B. Puller, a ship that serves as an afloat landing base.
—Time, 22 Apr. 2020
A year ago, the Orioles were somewhat afloat and without a permanent solution in baseball operations or a field staff in place.
—Jon Meoli, baltimoresun.com, 17 Oct. 2019
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'afloat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English aflote, going back to Old English aflote, on flote, from a- a- entry 1, on on entry 1 + flote, dative of flot "deep water, sea" — more at float entry 1
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near afloat
Cite this Entry
“Afloat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afloat. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on afloat
Nglish: Translation of afloat for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of afloat for Arabic Speakers
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