as in floating
riding upon the surface of a body of liquid
the boat can't stay afloat much longer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hereabouts
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of afloat
Mara Weinraub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
And how do the campaigns keep their supporting ladies afloat?
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
With a few wins in the weeks ahead, the Bengals could stay afloat in the AFC playoff race until Burrow returns, likely in December.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
His four total touchdowns are keeping him afloat as a weekly RB2.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
The Sierra Club’s report demonstrates that state and federal desires to keep the coal industry afloat is reflected in local utility decision making.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 14 Oct. 2025
Far-right members of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition – whose support is crucial to keeping his government afloat – have fiercely opposed a withdrawal from Gaza and have previously called for encouraging Palestinian residents to leave so Jewish settlements can be established there.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
The water pushed homes off their foundations and set some afloat with people inside, officials said.
—Rick Thoman, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, at UMaine, administrators spent the spring and summer more or less searching the couch cushions for quarters to keep various research projects afloat.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
The Steelers come in at 4-1 and look to put even more distance between themselves and the rest of the division, while the Bengals with Joe Flacco are looking for a big win to help keep themselves afloat for when Joe Burrow can return from injury.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
The money Kapoi made from selling her Concord townhouse helps keep her afloat.
—Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 12 Oct. 2025
But the Missouri defense had some big answers following turnovers that kept the Tigers afloat.
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2025
Many of his clients were small landlords—immigrant owners of two-family properties who relied on tenants to stay afloat.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Squeezed by federal policy changes, local hospitals and service providers are shutting down services and laying off employees to stay afloat.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2025
Inside Venezuela, authorities have turned to heavier taxation and extortion of businesses to keep the state’s security apparatus afloat.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Not long after, the district decided to essentially lend $25 million to the Isaac Elementary School District to help that district stay afloat, and then spent more than $15 million on new land.
—Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
While Amazon sales may be enough to stay afloat, placing all its seasonings into one virtual storefront can hamstring a fledgling business in the long term.
—Mara Weinraub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
And how do the campaigns keep their supporting ladies afloat?
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
With a few wins in the weeks ahead, the Bengals could stay afloat in the AFC playoff race until Burrow returns, likely in December.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
His four total touchdowns are keeping him afloat as a weekly RB2.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
The Sierra Club’s report demonstrates that state and federal desires to keep the coal industry afloat is reflected in local utility decision making.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 14 Oct. 2025
Far-right members of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition – whose support is crucial to keeping his government afloat – have fiercely opposed a withdrawal from Gaza and have previously called for encouraging Palestinian residents to leave so Jewish settlements can be established there.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
The water pushed homes off their foundations and set some afloat with people inside, officials said.
—Rick Thoman, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, at UMaine, administrators spent the spring and summer more or less searching the couch cushions for quarters to keep various research projects afloat.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Adverb
Hobbs said a loan from Navy Federal was keeping the family – her husband, a Navy member of 15 years and their two children, nine and six years old – afloat.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
The Steelers come in at 4-1 and look to put even more distance between themselves and the rest of the division, while the Bengals with Joe Flacco are looking for a big win to help keep themselves afloat for when Joe Burrow can return from injury.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
The money Kapoi made from selling her Concord townhouse helps keep her afloat.
—Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 12 Oct. 2025
But the Missouri defense had some big answers following turnovers that kept the Tigers afloat.
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2025
Many of his clients were small landlords—immigrant owners of two-family properties who relied on tenants to stay afloat.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Squeezed by federal policy changes, local hospitals and service providers are shutting down services and laying off employees to stay afloat.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2025
Inside Venezuela, authorities have turned to heavier taxation and extortion of businesses to keep the state’s security apparatus afloat.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Not long after, the district decided to essentially lend $25 million to the Isaac Elementary School District to help that district stay afloat, and then spent more than $15 million on new land.
—Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 30 Sep. 2025
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
Adverb
-
And while the absence of a hometown rooting interest obviously won’t translate into a total baseball blackout hereabouts, only someone who’s been clobbered over the head by Wonderboy might expect to see the World Series ratings reach the heights of last year.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
10 Oct. 2025
-
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
Adverb
-
At 18, players can be signed from abroad, another area in which Newcastle are growing.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The idea that Hal’s Richard Holbrooke-esque résumé would land him in the line of succession is part of the series’ alternate reality, where the only skill that matters is wielding American influence abroad with an expert knowledge of protocol.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Fans can expect to see Tusky everywhere — from Mammoth games and team events to community gatherings, schools and hospitals.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Musicians everywhere came to pay tributes to the late R&B icon D’Angelo, who died from pancreatic cancer on October 14.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Afloat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afloat. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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