floated

verb

past tense of float
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

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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 Diversification into more reliable sectors, including tourism, has been floated as a means to bring in the hard currency needed to allow the nation more access to global markets. — Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026 After that, the video wall froze over as white mist floated above it and snowflakes fell from the ceiling. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026 Could the Tesla-SpaceX merger that Elon Musk floated this week pose antitrust problems? — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026 But since SpaceX floated the idea of becoming a US carrier, T-Mobile has been downplaying satellite connectivity and even suggested working with other satellite partners. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026 Lamb, who was once floated for the service’s top job, treats his current position as a kind of penance for past sins, both for himself and for his underlings. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026 Eric Adams, the mayor just before Mamdani, floated a ban late in his term but the proposal went nowhere. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 Emil Heineman floated a wrist shot from the blue line, and Eklund corralled the loose puck and buried it for his second goal of the season. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 On another clear day, 50 years earlier, another balloon had floated above Charlotte. — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floated
  1. hovered
  2. wandered
  3. sailed
  4. roamed
  5. swam
  6. drifted
  7. strolled
  8. cruised
Verb
  • His hands hovered waist high, eyes watching the downturning arcs of his teammates’ shots, waiting for a pass that never came.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The national average has hovered above $4 per gallon since the middle of June.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of hovered
Verb
  • Five burros were killed and a driver was injured when a herd wandered onto the 215 Freeway in 2020.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • At one point, McLoughlin even snubbed Sylvester Stallone, another Kennedy Center Honoree who had wandered into the bar.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of wandered
Verb
  • The Giants had a chance to take the lead after that but Dominic Zvada’s 44-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Needing 11 yards on fourth down to continue their drive and cut into a 23-7 Packers lead, Prescott narrowly avoided a sack before lofting a pass that sailed out the back of the end zone, not close to any particular Cowboys receiver.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of sailed
Verb
  • In March, federal officials estimated roughly 3,900 wild burros roamed there – far above the agency’s management target of about 450 animals.
    — Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Oct. 2026
  • While dinosaurs roamed the earth, giant monsters roamed the sea.
    — October 16, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of roamed
Verb
  • After lingering in nearby waters for hours, the shark swam beneath an outer barrier net installed on the platform that night and reentered the waterway.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • More recently, a mother humpback and her calf swam into the Delta in 2007.
    — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of swam
Verb
  • For the past 15 years, Ishmael Butler and his cast of collaborators have drifted further and further into the outer reaches, deconstructing and reassembling hip-hop, jazz, and kosmische conventions into sprawling, proggy rhapsodies.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Meta stock plunged after the hyperscaler drifted into negative free cash flow, while China entered bear market territory with Alibaba’s stock dropping 6%, as investors questioned the return on its AI investments.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of drifted
Verb
  • Moments later, a male lion strolled out of the thin trees behind me, settling by the pond for a drink.
    — Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Onstage, two hundred townsfolk sang, and a stilt walker strolled.
    — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of strolled
Verb
  • Republicans are facing tough races, even in places like Kansas where Republicans have traditionally cruised to victory.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Maybe not the way Santa Margarita, the defending champion, is improving on a weekly basis similar to last season when the Eagles separated themselves and cruised to victory.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruised

Browse Nearby Words

float
floated
floating
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Cite this Entry

“Floated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floated. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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