float 1 of 2

1
as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a canoe floating down the river particles of dust floating in the air

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2

float

2 of 2

noun

as in dock
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers the crew put the cargo on the float before heading back down the river

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of float
Verb
In response to the tariffs, Apple has floated the prospect of moving more of its production to India, although such a move faces its own challenges . Brian Evans, CNBC, 29 Apr. 2025 Modi, who is said to do several hours of yoga every day, typically wore simple kurtas, and members of his immediate family worked in modest jobs and were conspicuously absent from senior government positions; whatever other allegations floated around him, he could not be accused of material greed. Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
These days the food hall contains a lovely cheese counter with local and international options, and a fun stand run sells ice cream floats made with buffalo milk soft serve from Double 8 Dairy in Petaluma and seasonal fruit sodas with a kombucha intensity. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025 Fiesta Flambeau Parade: May 3 This nighttime parade through downtown San Antonio is lively and upbeat, with bright, twinkling lights adorning the floats. Jill Robbins, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for float
Recent Examples of Synonyms for float
Verb
  • Uncertainty still hovers over Bryce Huff, a splash signing in 2024.
    Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
  • From a terminal far out of harm’s way, drone pilots could hover in the sky for hours, soaking up surveillance information, building a case for precisely whom to bomb and when to do it.
    Colin Jones, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Their cattle then roam the yerba mate plantation, clear the weeds–which both feeds the cattle and eliminates the need for pesticides–and its manure helps enrich the soil.
    Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
  • Residents complain of thieves roaming the streets after dusk.
    Sophie Neiman, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Fans on the upper concourse have to stand in long lines waiting for concessions at the few available vendors, and while four loading docks may have been plenty for Manilow, Timberlake had 25 semitrailers full of equipment (not counting tour buses).
    Matt Craig, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Join a nightly boat tour at 7 P.M. from the hotel’s restaurant dock.
    Alexandra Gillespie, Outside Online, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • As part of its efforts under [Free and Open Indo-Pacific], [Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force] remains delighted to sail into friends' ports and help enhance openness thru various and collaborative interactions.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Domestic life did not suit the 26-year-old young woman who had once sailed to China to preach the word of God.
    Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • After a 3-month long girls trip along Florida’s Gulf Coast, a wayward pair of endangered North Atlantic right whales known as Curlew and Koala have finally wandered back to the Atlantic Ocean.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Alberta is skeptical… until Hetty points out how Pete has been wandering and dating up a storm, was secretly in the mafia and punched Thor in the face after the Viking slept with Carol.
    Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Stonington, Maine: After two devastating storms, plans are multiplying to raise and fortify wharves, roads and buildings.
    Mike Belleme, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
  • On Monday, a 150ft section of the Santa Cruz wharf collapsed while being hit by high waves.
    Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Months after its release, her breakout effort Alligator Bites Never Heal is swimming higher than ever before.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Mornings stretch slowly over strong coffee and views of the turquoise Aegean and afternoons are for swimming at golden beaches, exploring stone pathways punctuated by hot pink cascades of bougainvillea, or doing nothing at all.
    Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Williams had apparently drifted across an invisible whites-only line that the man who killed him was enforcing.
    Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 2 May 2025
  • In an enterprise culture that often drifts toward bloated processes and fuzzy accountability, this insistence on clarity builds trust.
    Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Float.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/float. Accessed 6 May. 2025.

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