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
Not surprisingly, neither draw had any floaters of that magnitude this time around.
—
Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Butler canned a flat-but-accurate corner 3, and then Green found openings in the Rockets’ interior and converted on both a layup and a soft floater to give Golden State a 70-62 lead after three quarters.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 5 May 2025
On the next possession, Brunson finished an improbable floater through contact, giving the Knicks a 100-98 lead.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025
If the solution begins to look cloudy or has floaters, empty the feeder immediately and thoroughly clean it.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for floater
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Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Butler canned a flat-but-accurate corner 3, and then Green found openings in the Rockets’ interior and converted on both a layup and a soft floater to give Golden State a 70-62 lead after three quarters.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 5 May 2025
On the next possession, Brunson finished an improbable floater through contact, giving the Knicks a 100-98 lead.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025
If the solution begins to look cloudy or has floaters, empty the feeder immediately and thoroughly clean it.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for floater
Cite this Entry
“Floater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/floater. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical 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
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