floater

noun

float·​er ˈflō-tər 

1

a

: one that floats

b

: a person who floats something

2

: a person who votes illegally in various polling places

3

a

: a person without a permanent residence or regular employment

b

: a worker who moves from job to job

especially : one without fixed duties

4

: a pitched, thrown, or hit ball that moves through the air relatively slowly with little or no spin or rotation

5

: a policy insuring specific items of personal property (such as jewelry or art)

6

: a bit of optical debris (such as a dead cell or cell fragment) in the vitreous humor or lens that may be perceived as a spot before the eye

also : a spot in the visual field due to such debris

—usually used in plural

7

US : floating holiday

Examples of floater in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The project at AltaSea, a nonprofit ocean institute at the port, involves a row of large blue floaters in the water, attached to infrastructure on the wharf, that move up and down with wave action to create energy. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2025

Nguyen Nik Bonitto shoves the Jets' left tackle back into Justin Fields and Zach Allen crunches him from the interior on that third-down floater. —Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025

Here, Sarr successfully contests a 13-foot floater by Tyler Kolek. —Josh Robbins, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025

Tustin scored on its first possession, a third-and-goal at the 1-yard line floater pass from Edwards to Koo in the right rear corner of the end zone. —Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1717, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for floater

• boater
• motor
• rotor
• voter
• locomotor
• psychomotor
• servomotor
• vasomotor
• oculomotor
• sensorimotor
• premotor
• promoter

Medical Definition

floater

noun

float·​er ˈflōt-ər 

: a bit of optical debris (as a dead cell or cell fragment) in the vitreous body or lens that may be perceived as a spot before the eye

also : a spot in the visual field due to such debris

—usually used in plural compare muscae volitantes

Legal Definition

floater

noun

float·​er

1

[from the notion that the policy “floats” with the goods it insures, wherever they might be located] : a policy or supplemental attachment to a policy insuring specific items of personal property (as jewelry or art)

specifically : a policy of insurance to protect against loss or damage of goods in transit or goods (as jewels) naturally subject to use in various places

called also floating policy

2

: a debt security that yields an indexed variable rate of interest

especially : floating rate note at note