free-floating

adjective

free-float·​ing ˈfrē-ˈflō-tiŋ How to pronounce free-floating (audio)
1
a
: floating freely
free-floating vegetation
b
: lacking specific attachment, direction, or purpose
free-floating ideas
2
: felt as an emotion without apparent cause
free-floating anxiety

Examples of free-floating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But if his gestures were free-floating, his linguistic prowess remained dense and dexterous. Sarah Moroz, Pitchfork, 12 Nov. 2025 The design uses two separate, free-floating foam pieces, positioned laterally and medially within the midsole. Cory Smith, Outside, 25 Oct. 2025 Pack ice, a type of free-floating ice that drifts on the open ocean, surrounds Antarctica. Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025 Most cosmologists believe that these stars were the first large, free-floating structures to illuminate our universe, and that black holes appeared later. Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for free-floating

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of free-floating was in 1815

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Free-floating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free-floating. Accessed 23 Nov. 2025.

Medical Definition

free-floating

adjective
free-float·​ing ˈfrē-ˈflōt-iŋ How to pronounce free-floating (audio)
: felt as an emotion without apparent cause
free-floating anxiety

More from Merriam-Webster on free-floating

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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