FLOATING Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

floating 1 of 2

adjective

ˈflō-tiŋ

Definition of floating

as in afloat

riding upon the surface of a body of liquid the wreckage remained floating for hours

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

floating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of float

as in hovering

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wandering

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 floating

Adjective

Social media posts and years of reviewing cookie-cutter luxury hotels had conditioned me to equate floating breakfasts, monogrammed accessories, butler service, and aromatherapy menus as markers of a dreamy luxury vacation. — Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 22 Oct. 2024 The boat, a single motorboat, was found floating and half-submerged near the Harbor One Marina. — Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2024

Verb

Separately, the risks of both companies floating in limbo for the better part of a year as an antitrust suit by 12 state attorneys general wends its way to a March 2027 trial date has started to sink in. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026 After receiving the ball from an inbound pass with three seconds left in game 5, Jordan nailed the buzzer-beater while floating horizontally through the air near the free throw line. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for floating

Recent Examples of Synonyms for floating

Adjective

In-app purchases to keep afloat Both apps are free to download but feature in-app purchases.

— Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Long before becoming a Hollywood mainstay with a market cap of over $315 billion, Netflix was struggling to stay afloat.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of afloat

Verb

The small plane struck the tail of the hovering helicopter, killing the Cessna pilot and sending both aircraft to the ground in pieces.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
The helicopter crew was conducting routine training and was hovering several feet above a grassy area adjacent to a runway when the crash happened.

— Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of hovering

Verb

But when Fran discovers a magic tree after wandering into the woods, the trio experience a series of life-altering adventures.

— Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Times classical music critic Mark Swed was there to watch, along with many effusive supporters of music director Gianandrea Noseda’s now wandering orchestra.

— Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of wandering

Verb

Images of Anderson roaming around the concert venue with a large 35mm camera were shared widely on social media sites at the time.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Texas has the largest feral hog population in the United States, with millions of the invasive animals roaming the state.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of roaming

Verb

The Louisiana Department of Health announced last week a resident had likely contracted the organism, known as Naegleria fowleri, while swimming in Lake Claiborne which is about 30 miles northwest of Ruston.

— Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Lillian Smart, an 8-year-old girl who health officials believe contracted a brain-eating amoeba while swimming in a northern Louisiana lake, died Saturday at a Ruston hospital from an infection linked to the pathogen.

— Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of swimming

Verb

The generation with the most to lose The clearest evidence that confidence and competence are drifting apart shows up in the generational data.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
Dark, light-absorbing particles turn into light-scattering particles, transforming dark, dense plumes into the milky white haze seen drifting across the eastern skies.

— Michael A. Robinson, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of drifting

Verb

Travelers have also weighed in online about the benefits and drawbacks of cruising in Greenland.

— Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
By then Arsenal were cruising, thanks to an hour of crisp passing and progressive possession punctuated by goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Odegaard.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruising

Browse Nearby Words

floated

floating

floats

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Floating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floating. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of floating

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

southpaw

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes