1
as in hovered
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wandered
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 floated
The proposal differs from other ideas that have been floated to replace gas tax money that isn't collected from EV drivers.
—
Keith Laing, USA Today, 18 May 2026
Watts has said doctors initially dismissed her menopause symptoms and floated other diagnoses before considering hormones.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026
The brand’s founders, sisters Margaret Kleveland and Katherine Kleveland, floated between guests throughout the night.
—Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Mandatory frontier-model approval, as currently floated, is poorly targeted and creates an incumbent moat that locks in the largest developers; however, perhaps a better version could be formulated.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 15 May 2026
Some of the sheriff’s new money would also go towards off-site juvenile housing, an issue that’s been in the headlines as McFadden floated the need to reopen a juvenile detention facility in Mecklenburg.
—Mary Ramsey
may 14, Charlotte Observer, 14 May 2026
Allen in 2024 had floated a $30 billion bid for Paramount Global (in partnership with unnamed financial backers), before David Ellison’s Skydance Media won the deal.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 May 2026
Key Background New York has floated more dramatic property taxes since Mamdani came into office this year.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
As for her own music, Lipa has been working for month on the follow-up to Radical Optimism, but no release date has been floated for its arrival.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 14 May 2026
Keith Laing, USA Today, 18 May 2026
Watts has said doctors initially dismissed her menopause symptoms and floated other diagnoses before considering hormones.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026
The brand’s founders, sisters Margaret Kleveland and Katherine Kleveland, floated between guests throughout the night.
—Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Mandatory frontier-model approval, as currently floated, is poorly targeted and creates an incumbent moat that locks in the largest developers; however, perhaps a better version could be formulated.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 15 May 2026
Some of the sheriff’s new money would also go towards off-site juvenile housing, an issue that’s been in the headlines as McFadden floated the need to reopen a juvenile detention facility in Mecklenburg.
—Mary Ramsey
may 14, Charlotte Observer, 14 May 2026
Allen in 2024 had floated a $30 billion bid for Paramount Global (in partnership with unnamed financial backers), before David Ellison’s Skydance Media won the deal.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 May 2026
Key Background New York has floated more dramatic property taxes since Mamdani came into office this year.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
As for her own music, Lipa has been working for month on the follow-up to Radical Optimism, but no release date has been floated for its arrival.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floated
Verb
-
Yet hotel occupancy rates that year hovered at a dismal 30 percent.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
That sense of momentum hovered over the entire fair.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Bum-seok listens impatiently to their second-hand accounts of tiger tracks being sighted in the mountains, leading them to assume the animal must have wandered all the way down from Siberia.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
-
The other day, an elephant wandered onto this very field.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Over the course of May 9 and 10, scientists at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory worked around the clock to develop a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for Andes hantavirus, which has sickened at least 10 and killed three people who sailed on board the MV Hondius.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
18 May 2026
-
The ship then sailed for the port of Praia in Cape Verde, but was denied permission to dock.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Conrad Weiser was a Pennsylvania German who had roamed the frontier for decades, learning the Indian languages and befriending Indian leaders, including some who encountered Washington in Ohio.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
The dinosaur roamed across what is now Montana and Wyoming, and across the western United States, which most likely looked like the Louisiana floodplain all those millions of years ago.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
One whale traveled just over 9,300 miles (15,000 kilometers), outranking previous recordholders including a humpback that swam from Colombia to Zanzibar.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
-
Cal Fire said California State Parks lifeguards swam from Greyhound State Beach CA State Parks with lifeguards and AMR responded.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Any natural satellites of Psyche could’ve been ejected from the body by ancient impacts—or might’ve even been captured from deep space by chance encounters as the asteroid drifted through the solar system.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
-
The film stars Haddish, Regina Hall, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith – the Flossy Posse – four longtime friends who have slowly drifted apart due to life’s demands.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Just around the corner from the rally on Tajrish Square, in a tranquil park near the Cinema Museum of Iran, locals perused an open-air book stall and sipped tea, while couples strolled hand in hand.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
The candidate strolled in with a videographer and photographer.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The lead held up as KC cruised to a 5-0 shutout victory over Mariners.—
Jaylon Thompson
May 23,
Kansas City Star,
23 May 2026
-
Fulcher also cruised to victory in the Republican primary for Idaho’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, beating challengers Andy Briner, 33, of Parma, and Joseph Morrison, 35, of Boise.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Floated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floated. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
