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
The White House has floated a goal of 3,000 daily ICE arrests, raising concerns among advocates who say such quotas encourage indiscriminate enforcement practices and undermine due process protections.
—
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Kennedy floated a full-on ban against pharmaceutical ads during last year’s election cycle.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Oracle has been floated as a potential investor or buyer of TikTok for months.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Whitmer has been floated as a potential Democratic nominee for president.
—Isabella Volmert, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Various world leaders, including France’s Napoleon Bonaparte and Lord Palmerston of Britain, also floated the idea at various times.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Lux, meanwhile, floated potentially playing Jean Grey, a member of the mutant superhero group the X-Men.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 15 Sep. 2025
People lingered in public spaces, chatting on benches, sharing snacks from street vendors, and enjoying live music that floated through the air.
—Chantelle Kincy, Travel + Leisure, 14 Sep. 2025
All the fair-weather friends who hung around her business are gone, and her kids and grandkids have floated away.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Kennedy floated a full-on ban against pharmaceutical ads during last year’s election cycle.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Oracle has been floated as a potential investor or buyer of TikTok for months.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Whitmer has been floated as a potential Democratic nominee for president.
—Isabella Volmert, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Various world leaders, including France’s Napoleon Bonaparte and Lord Palmerston of Britain, also floated the idea at various times.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Lux, meanwhile, floated potentially playing Jean Grey, a member of the mutant superhero group the X-Men.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 15 Sep. 2025
People lingered in public spaces, chatting on benches, sharing snacks from street vendors, and enjoying live music that floated through the air.
—Chantelle Kincy, Travel + Leisure, 14 Sep. 2025
All the fair-weather friends who hung around her business are gone, and her kids and grandkids have floated away.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floated
Verb
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Bonds, which have hovered for a week after a ripping rally , and could struggle if attention returns to stickier inflation?—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
16 Sep. 2025
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Following the exercise’s finale, two drones carrying Russian and Belarusian flags hovered in front of spectators.—
Patrick Reevell,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In Jacksonville, Florida, a 5-year-old wandered away from home in the early morning hours.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Despite its common name, this creature wasn’t simply a lion that wandered into the Americas.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Silvetti was shown his first MLS yellow card two minutes later and shortly thereafter launched his first shot, a powerful right-footer from outside the box that sailed wide right.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Instead, the former Jacksonville tight end has sailed closer to Jared Leto — a performance that’s hard to watch.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An active tropical storm or hurricane has roamed somewhere in the Atlantic on that date in roughly three-fourths of the 76 years tracked by NOAA.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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High atop the Luossavaara Mountain in northern Sweden, Sami reindeer herder Lars-Marcus Kuhmunen mapped out a bleak future for himself and other Indigenous people whose reindeer have roamed this land for thousands of years.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Not wanting to run immediately after the season, Jenkins instead swam to get in his cardio work.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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The Herald also found a pile of wet clothes, two children’s backpacks and food at the end of a street in Tavernier where the ocean meets the shore, suggesting the group swam to land and changed into dry clothing.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After an earnings beat and a blistering 32% pop on July 30, the stock drifted lower for a month — a normal profit-taking after a vertical move.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The Baileys had drifted almost 1,500 miles, into the dead of summer, when they were rescued by a South Korean fishing boat on June 30, 1973.—
Susan Young,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Suki Waterhouse, too, strolled around in the P-6000’s all-white style with jeans and a button-up, and Kylie Jenner chose the shoe in a pure white colorway to round out her gym attire.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
8 Sep. 2025
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New Bayern Munich signing Luis Díaz strolled down the left flank before cutting inside and poking a cross along the six-yard line.—
Joseph O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The reigning Olympic Champion cruised through the fourth round of the women’s 100-meter heats with ease, clocking the fastest time of the day.—
Paras J. Haji,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Dillon O’Brien ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns as South Shore Voke cruised past Hull, 30-0.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Floated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floated. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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