floating 1 of 2

adjective

ˈflō-tiŋ How to pronounce floating (audio)
Definition of floatingnext
as in afloat
riding upon the surface of a body of liquid the wreckage remained floating for hours

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

floating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of float
1
as in hovering
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wandering
to move about from place to place aimlessly lost touch with a childhood friend who spent much of his adult life floating from place to place

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 floating
Adjective
The United States shot down three more floating objects in the following days, then announced that there was no sign that any of them were connected to China. — Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2023 This tablet also comes with a full-sized floating keyboard that resembles Apple’s iPad Air and Pro Magic Keyboard. — Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2023
Verb
The character famously filmed herself floating in the pool and living her best Southern California sorority girl life. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026 After Emmert’s conviction, the legislature amended the state’s criminal trespassing statute to exclude floating on a river’s surface. — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for floating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floating
  1. afloat
  2. hovering
  3. wandering
  4. sailing
  5. roaming
  6. swimming
  7. drifting
  8. cruising
Adjective
  • And while the voucher may increase demand, facilities like this often have to leverage other sources of money to keep programs like Swim Buddies afloat.
    — Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 1 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, explosive growth in the military economy and stimulus spending on infrastructure and social benefits helped Russian households stay afloat, despite stoking inflation.
    — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Definition of afloat
Verb
  • When both extend simultaneously – as the real bird does during hovering – the lift increase is greater than the sum of the two movements separately, but their pitching effects cancel each other out.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 July 2026
  • Markets have responded to the absence of immediate escalation, with WTI hovering around $70/bbl, but the strategic conditions that generated the crisis persist.
    — Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of hovering
Verb
  • Outdoor experiences are just as compelling, from kayaking through mangroves at the Environmental Learning Center to wandering the lush landscapes of McKee Botanical Garden.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
  • Two months ago, he was discovered wandering the San Francisco streets, blocks away from his typical habitat and suffering from severe malnutrition.
    — Liz Gray, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of wandering
Verb
  • Royal Caribbean also paid homage to the original Legend of the Seas, which began sailing for the line in the 1990s until 2017, with a model of that ship on display in Schooner Bar.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Two other small tankers exited the Persian Gulf by sailing closer to Iran.
    — Weilun Soon, Fortune, 5 July 2026
Definition of sailing
Verb
  • On July 8, the Inyo National Forest will begin rounding up horses from the Montgomery Pass herd roaming beyond the roughly 200,000 acres designated for them along the California-Nevada border, according to a recent news release.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
  • The animals have been seen on airport runways, walking on golf courses, roaming near schools and causing panic in supermarkets and hot spring resorts almost on a daily basis.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of roaming
Verb
  • Her three kids could be seen posing on the beach, getting ready to go swimming.
    — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
  • Then much farther north, a beach was closed to swimming in Maine after a report of two sharks near Reid State Park.
    — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of swimming
Verb
  • Without it, the experience risks drifting into the broad category of pretty resort dinner.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • People often watch them with comments from other viewers drifting across their screens.
    — Lavender Au, The Dial, 30 June 2026
Definition of drifting
Verb
  • Senegal were cruising, courtesy of goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • Among the benefits of cruising is the fact that, for many Americans, getting to a ship doesn’t necessarily mean taking a flight.
    — Jane Wooldridge, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
Definition of cruising

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Cite this Entry

“Floating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floating. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on floating

Nglish: Translation of floating for Spanish Speakers

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