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
That’s an enormous lever—but far smaller than the 10–40 trillion-tonne estimates that have floated around for years.
—
Phil De Luna, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Purdy scrambled to his right and floated a ball toward backup tight end Jake Tonges in the back of the end zone.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Walter Matthau was actually tested for the role of Captain von Trapp, with other names like Yul Brynner and Bing Crosby also floated for the part before Christopher Plummer, who famously hated the movie, was cast.
—Debby Rice, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
On a first-and-10 from their own 38-yard line, QB Ty Tortorice floated a go-ball down the right sideline.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Then, in July, the city floated Likens as the likely pick, according to past reporting.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
The movements of Iranian diplomats are severely limited in New York, but one proposal being floated would bar them from shopping at big, members-only wholesale stores like Costco and Sam’s Club without first receiving the express permission of the State Department.
—Matthew Lee, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Smith shot the brothers, and then floated away on the Squirrel River in the hunters’ inflatable boat, along with their food and guns.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
The $1 trillion figure floated by Sonowal is expected to be invested through the 2047 goal.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Phil De Luna, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Purdy scrambled to his right and floated a ball toward backup tight end Jake Tonges in the back of the end zone.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Walter Matthau was actually tested for the role of Captain von Trapp, with other names like Yul Brynner and Bing Crosby also floated for the part before Christopher Plummer, who famously hated the movie, was cast.
—Debby Rice, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
On a first-and-10 from their own 38-yard line, QB Ty Tortorice floated a go-ball down the right sideline.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Then, in July, the city floated Likens as the likely pick, according to past reporting.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
The movements of Iranian diplomats are severely limited in New York, but one proposal being floated would bar them from shopping at big, members-only wholesale stores like Costco and Sam’s Club without first receiving the express permission of the State Department.
—Matthew Lee, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Smith shot the brothers, and then floated away on the Squirrel River in the hunters’ inflatable boat, along with their food and guns.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
The $1 trillion figure floated by Sonowal is expected to be invested through the 2047 goal.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floated
Verb
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A couple of lanky students from the Tandon School of Engineering hovered by the shelf, considering a box of disco balls up top.—
Ben McGrath,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
As for most of the tournament, Sinner’s first-serve percentage hovered around 50, and Auger-Aliassime took the initiative with flashing forehands and the bravery to go after his shots in baseline rallies.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The 5-year-old, identified as William, slipped through the front gate of his family's home and wandered to a nearby Chick-fil-A, where he was greeted by the staff and treated to a breakfast sandwich, per the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO).—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Eli McCann, 41, (@eliwmccann) posted a clip on TikTok, recounting a moment from several years ago when his then 5-year-old niece was exploring his house and wandered into his bedroom.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Anisimova took the first set when Swiatek sailed a forehand long while serving at 4-5.—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Putin, now in his third decade as Russia’s leader, sailed to a fifth term in office last year.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Many of these injuries were caused by aerial bombardments, as Israel Defense Forces jets, helicopters and drones regularly roamed the skies, Burney said.—
Brendan Rascius,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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One of the individuals swam under the boat and tried to flip it over to no avail.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Our mutual social contacts have drifted away.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
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The small vessel drifted away into the current of the Thames.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Once the cars arrived at the Kinnison family home, Robert was sitting in a lawn chair surrounded by loved ones as the cars strolled through.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
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Once the cars arrived at the Kinnison family home, Robert was sitting in a lawn chair surrounded by loved ones as the cars strolled through.—
Keenan Thompson,
Freep.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But the 2025 rematch was a different story, as Bell cruised to a dominant 51-13 victory.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
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Argentina cruised throughout the qualification process with and without Messi.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Floated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floated. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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