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 However, Newcastle have been looking at alternatives, and Parma’s Zion Suzuki, the 23-year-old Japan international, has featured during internal discussions, while Brighton’s 25-year-old goalkeeper Carl Rushworth has also been floated. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 21 July 2026 The team floated the idea to Nestlé’s global KitKat brand group, then gave its agency partner, VML, 24 hours to return with a concept. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 20 July 2026 Occasional proposals were floated by outside groups to use McAuley, though funding continually was a challenge. — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026 As the trawler floated around Lake Jesup, the hose sucked in thousands of gallons of the murky beige-and-green water, and siphoned it into a holding tank. — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026 One thing that’s not clear is whether Midtown intends to demolish Sunset Place all at once or in phases — a possible approach floated at one point. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026 The Oscars tried to trim its broadcast by moving eight categories to a pre-show in 2023, but it was widely criticized and hasn’t been floated again. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 17 July 2026 Water had risen up to the door of their mobile home, which was eventually swept off its platform and floated down Goat Creek on the Guadalupe, Steward shared. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026 Mamdani sparks online frenzy as 'absurd' housing claim is floated at 'freak show' event. — FOXNews.com, 17 July 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 long-term future surely hovered as another complicating factor.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Somewhere in the heated mist hovered the howls of Albert Ayler and the clarion call of his brother Donald’s trumpet, followed by the Ornette Coleman Quartet, saluting him with joyous cacophony.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2026
Definition of hovered
Verb
  • After running away from home, Fig wandered nearly 30 miles before someone spotted her and the sheriff's department picked her up.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
  • So would pianist Jake Shapiro, tickling the ivories as one wandered, to the limited extent one was allowed to wander.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026
Definition of wandered
Verb
  • Courtesy Luxury Living Costa Rica Fortunes sailed away to Europe 300 years ago.
    — Donna Hardie-Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Sears had allowed only a single and faced the minimum 13 batters when Michael Harris II tied the game with a home run that sailed just beyond the tall wall in right field with one out in the fifth.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026
Definition of sailed
Verb
  • Mixed-ancestry people (called Métis in Canada) who were not bound to reservations, in particular, roamed far and wide collecting bones and came to dominate the trade.
    — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 20 July 2026
  • Torres, who roamed into the box unmarked, received a headed pass from Nico Williams and rocketed the ball with his left foot past Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez in the 106th minute.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026
Definition of roamed
Verb
  • Merhige has swam five of the seven, including the Cook Strait and the Catalina and English channels.
    — Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 21 July 2026
  • Though much derided in advance, this expansion of the rubric did mean that Cabo Verde swam into our ken.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Definition of swam
Verb
  • Young orcas then gobbled up fish fragments that drifted through the water as their elders tore into what was left of the sunfish’s corpse.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
  • Gorillas gathered by the gate to their den, and African elephants drifted toward their barn.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 July 2026
Definition of drifted
Verb
  • Harry and Archie strolled ahead of Lilibet, who wore a floral dress with metallic sandals while touting a tiny purse.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 23 July 2026
  • The pair strolled holding hands around Soho and Washington Square Park.
    — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026
Definition of strolled
Verb
  • In gender, Columbus' men avenged an earlier season loss and cruised to an 11-6 win to sweep gender doubles.
    — Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Tarik Skubal pitched seven dominant innings, Spencer Torkelson homered twice and drove in four runs, and the Detroit Tigers cruised to a 7-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 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 27 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on floated

Nglish: Translation of floated for Spanish Speakers

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