AFLOAT Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

afloat 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈflōt

Definition of afloat

as in floating

riding upon the surface of a body of liquid the boat can't stay afloat much longer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

afloat

2 of 2

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 afloat

Adjective

Though now, the campus is shifting more digital to stay financially afloat and keep up with a changing educational landscape. — Lacey Beasley, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 At one point, Georgia O’Keeffe had to convince her own dealer, Edith Herbert, to buy some of Kusama’s work to keep her afloat. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026 After the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia made clear its intention to end its funding at the end of this season, the league has been looking for investment and solutions to remain afloat. — Brody Miller, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 In-app purchases to keep afloat Both apps are free to download but feature in-app purchases. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026 Long before becoming a Hollywood mainstay with a market cap of over $315 billion, Netflix was struggling to stay afloat. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026 When their main breadwinner is detained, the immigrant households struggle to stay afloat. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026 Yet many of them are stuck on an exhausting financial hamster wheel, continually grinding to stay afloat. — Justin Donald, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Smith worked up to 100 hours per week during the business’s early years, investing his own savings to keep it afloat. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026

Adverb

Samples remained afloat in freshwater for more than two months, while seawater tests examined corrosion resistance and a prototype buoy’s stability. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026 Crab sales may be keeping the fishermen afloat, but their earnings remain nowhere near those of the clam industry’s heyday. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 In season three, while settling in as part owners, Will and Shane struggle to keep Valley Forge Automotive afloat. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026 In Season 3, while settling in as part owners, Will and Shane struggle to keep Valley Forge afloat. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026 However, Mirassou said the struggle of keeping her ranch afloat is well worth the effort. — Dawn White, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 Maintaining that strength requires a robust industrial base that delivers new ships on schedule and keeps America’s existing vessels afloat. — Matt Reisener, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026 Mendelsohn said implementing in-app purchases was necessary because the cost of keeping Roost afloat is costly. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026 The GoFundMe page was made with an $11,000 goal to help the Hicks family with medical bills, therapy, follow-up care, daily living expenses and with keeping their restaurant afloat. — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for afloat

Adjective

Companies with a smaller market value generally tend to have more floating rate debt than larger businesses.

— Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
Social media posts and years of reviewing cookie-cutter luxury hotels had conditioned me to equate floating breakfasts, monogrammed accessories, butler service, and aromatherapy menus as markers of a dreamy luxury vacation.

— Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 22 Oct. 2024

Definition of floating

Adverb

This time the recipient is area rancher Benjamin Bonney (Dermot Mulroney), who along with his thuggish sons is suspected of murdering anyone hereabouts who won’t surrender their own land to him.

— Dennis Harvey, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025
Blame the damp and moderate climate hereabouts or the particular ardor of the northern red-legged frog, but our target species is ready to hop anytime between early November and the middle of March.

— Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2024

Definition of hereabouts

Adverb

And sometimes, a new coiling direction dominates seemingly everywhere across the oceans all at once in the fossil record.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 11 Sep. 2026
Four decades later, the band’s music is still everywhere, including television, social media and streaming platforms like Spotify, where Journey has more monthly listeners than Bruce Springsteen, U2 or Bob Dylan.

— Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of everywhere

Browse Nearby Words

aflame

afloat

aflutter

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Afloat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afloat. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of afloat

adjective

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

hobnob

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes