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
Relevance
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
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
-
Crude oil prices have hovered around $60 a barrel in recent days.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
Eventually, as not pictured by Izzy, 315-pound right tackle Mike McGlinchey wandered over and sat next to his quarterback, too.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Eventually, as not pictured by Izzy Nix, 315-pound right tackle Mike McGlinchey wandered over and sat next to his quarterback, too.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
More than 200 years ago, bison roamed freely across Illinois, but as the industrial revolution reshaped the landscape, the bison disappeared.—
Marissa Perlman,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
-
And guests snorkel along reefs coated with purple sea fans, roamed by schools of teal parrotfish, eagle rays, and angelfish.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Prior to March 2020, guests at La Selva swam in the lagoon.—
Noah Lederman,
Robb Report,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker swam past Eagles center Cam Jurgens to help force a 2-yard loss.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
After a toasty start to the winter season, temperatures have drifted down to more normal levels in North Texas.—
Julia James,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Yet, Monday came, and while gold and silver went vertical, equities stayed calm and the dollar barely drifted.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Even after authorities arrived at the scene, there was no way to apprehend him without killing Hall, so Kiritsis and Hall strolled out of the building and drove off in a police car.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 Jan. 2026
-
Twelve astronauts strolled the lunar surface, beginning with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Matt Cameron netted four goals, while Garret Lasonde, Drew Grant and Jacques Akelian scored two goals each as Minuteman cruised to a 14-1 nonleague boys hockey win over East Boston.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Williams cruised into the locker room Thursday on a scooter but did not speak with reporters.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Floated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floated. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
