FLOATED Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

floated

verb

past tense of float

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 First, quarterback Darian Mensah floated a ball down the sidelined for Elija Lofton. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2026 Multiple pieces of bipartisan legislation intended to revitalize the American maritime fleet have also been floated in Congress. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 9 Nov. 2026 The Franklin Park Defenders pushed back last Friday at the city’s latest cost estimate that has climbed since it was first floated. — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2026 Cuts floated this summer, including layoffs, furloughs and a midyear spending freeze, may be back on the table. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026 Several European political leaders, including the former German Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, have floated wealth tax proposals of their own in recent years. — Daniel Waldenstrom, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2026 Devastating wildfires across the state pushed the typically mundane commissioner post into a high-profile contest as a host of candidates floated their ideas in the primary for insurance reform. — Pat Maio, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2026 Other Chicago sites have also been floated, including a Bridgeport stadium concept that a Chicago architecture firm shared on social media. — Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026 A lot of vehicles, debris and even a police car have floated down the water, Earley said. — Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for floated

Verb

Trump’s approval rating hovered near 50% as his second term began.

— Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026
Simpson noted that the district has generally hovered near the state average in terms of graduation rates in recent years, and said that this is a continued area of focus for its high school team.

— Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of hovered

Verb

Drought and a late freeze made this a tough year for Colorado's black bears, and hungry bears wandered into neighborhoods across the state looking for food.

— Anna Alejo, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026
One evening, after a day of rain, Steven and I wandered in the Giardino della Misericordia, close to our apartment.

— Artforum, Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of wandered

Verb

The burial belonged to high-ranking members of the Scythians, a horse-riding culture that roamed the Eurasian steppe.

— Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026
For 42 years, an Oak Park man who had immigrated decades ago from Italy roamed residential streets on Chicago’s South Side, pushing an old-fashioned green and red cart outfitted with a sharpening stone.

— Susan DeGrane, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of roamed

Verb

Leneis also swam a leg on that relay, along with Zara Benchekroun and Liz Johnson, who had a second-place effort of her own in the 200 free.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026
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

Definition of swam

Verb

Canseco drifted back toward the warning track, positioned himself near the wall and prepared to make what appeared to be a fairly ordinary defensive play.

— Jon Root, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2026
After the first landing, Philae bounced up and drifted around the comet for two hours, making another bounce before Rosetta's cameras lost track of it.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of drifted

Verb

Studio Museum director Thelma Golden was chatting with MoMA board president Sarah Arison, and Jennifer Lawrence strolled in with her husband, the art dealer Cooke Maroney.

— Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 13 Nov. 2026
Cara Hile and her mother, Jeri, strolled up to a two-story home in Brookside Saturday, pamphlets in-hand.

— Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of strolled

Verb

Archbishop McCarthy cruised past Viera in three sets (25-15, 25-18, 25-14) in the state semifinal.

— Alex Kushel, Sun Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2026
Wednesday’s game was very different, as the Panthers cruised early and took advantage of Hawks mistakes, a familiar story this season.

— Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of cruised

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“Floated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floated. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of floated

verb

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