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
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Recent Examples of floated
Whenever the president floated some bizarre policy idea, issued a new threat, or told a brazen lie about the state of the economy, Hassett would be one of the first people on cable news justifying it.
—
Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
The secretary of state did not answer questions about the use of military force to acquire the territory, which has been floated as an option by the White House.
—Benjamin Siegel, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2026
Trump has also repeatedly floated the idea of acquiring the Danish territory of Greenland, including the possibility of doing so by military force.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Jan. 2026
Commissioner Steven Glassman floated an idea to use drones to display sponsors’ names in the sky.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
Later, after showing Joe how to work the Jet Ski crane, Nathan gets hit in the face by the hook — at the same time that Max notices that another Jet Ski has floated away and runs to get it.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
On a third-and-4 from the 50-yard line with just under nine minutes left, Jackson avoided the grasp of pass rushers Alex Highsmith and Keeanu Benton, reset and floated a pass to Zay Flowers behind the secondary to give the Ravens a 17-13 lead.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Venezuelan government officials had floated a plan in which Maduro would eventually leave office, The Associated Press reported in October.
—Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
Rumors have floated that Fisch's family doesn't care much for Seattle, as his wife recently moved back to Arizona.
—Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
The secretary of state did not answer questions about the use of military force to acquire the territory, which has been floated as an option by the White House.
—Benjamin Siegel, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2026
Trump has also repeatedly floated the idea of acquiring the Danish territory of Greenland, including the possibility of doing so by military force.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Jan. 2026
Commissioner Steven Glassman floated an idea to use drones to display sponsors’ names in the sky.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
Later, after showing Joe how to work the Jet Ski crane, Nathan gets hit in the face by the hook — at the same time that Max notices that another Jet Ski has floated away and runs to get it.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
On a third-and-4 from the 50-yard line with just under nine minutes left, Jackson avoided the grasp of pass rushers Alex Highsmith and Keeanu Benton, reset and floated a pass to Zay Flowers behind the secondary to give the Ravens a 17-13 lead.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Venezuelan government officials had floated a plan in which Maduro would eventually leave office, The Associated Press reported in October.
—Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
Rumors have floated that Fisch's family doesn't care much for Seattle, as his wife recently moved back to Arizona.
—Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floated
Verb
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Crude oil prices have hovered around $60 a barrel in recent days.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
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At its peak in 2000, GE’s market cap hovered around $600 billion, more than $1 trillion in today’s dollars.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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British explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett, who wandered the Amazon for 22 years at the beginning of the 20th century before vanishing without a trace, wrote that the breath of the anaconda stupefied its prey.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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That morning, in a new suburb of Glendale, three-year-old Kelly Keen wandered, unattended, out of her house and into the driveway.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Guard Deja Jones started, but her recent struggles continued and head coach Zenarae Antoine pulled her quickly after a bad transition pass sailed over the head of forward Taleiyah Gibbs.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
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But the rookie’s kick sailed wide right just as time expired, sending the Steelers into the playoffs and ending the Ravens’ season on a heartbreaking note.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And centerfielder Andy Pages, a defensive replacement who had just entered the game for Tommy Edman, roamed wildly into left center to grab a fly ball hit by Ernie Clement.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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In the kitchen, the inspector counted 22 roach corpses, 15 of them on the floor around fryers where three survivors roamed.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Prior to March 2020, guests at La Selva swam in the lagoon.—
Noah Lederman,
Robb Report,
3 Jan. 2026
-
An avid runner, Enslin, 48, also has swam regularly at the state park since 1977.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In past years, the Utah bison that drifted into Colorado near Rangely were typically shot after crossing state lines.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Extra caution is also advised around ridgelines, gullies, and terrain features, where wind-drifted, stiffer slabs of snow tend to form.—
Callie Zanandrie,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The scene around them was picturesque — horses strolled in the distance, the sky bore a bright blue.—
Abigail Hasebroock,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Paige Bueckers strolled into Unrivaled carrying the kind of aura that usually bends the room before a player ever steps on the floor.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Senior Ellie Scribner has 264 kills and 368 digs on the season … The Eagles have cruised through the bracket, sweeping every opponent and giving up 20 points in a set only once.—
Tim Meehan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Nov. 2025
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The Celtics outscored the Wizards by 13 points with him on the court in the first half and then cruised to a 136-107 victory.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Floated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floated. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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