floating 1 of 2

adjective

ˈflō-tiŋ How to pronounce floating (audio)
Definition of floatingnext
as in afloat
riding upon the surface of a body of liquid the wreckage remained floating for hours

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

floating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of float
1
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
2
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
Kempe’s initial feed into the slot eluded Byfield, floating instead to Panarin, who patiently reloaded to find Byfield between the hashmarks for a redirection goal. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 5 Nov. 2026 The abrupt end to the voyage has drawn widespread attention because the ship had touted itself as a floating home, combining long-term living at sea with global travel. — Sopheng Cheang, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for floating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floating
  1. afloat
  2. hovering
  3. wandering
  4. sailing
  5. roaming
  6. swimming
  7. drifting
  8. cruising
Adjective
  • Last Ditch received backlash after introducing mask-optional nights to help stay afloat, and has since been thrust into the national spotlight after a Boston Globe story about the bar went viral.
    — Tara Knight, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The district has already cut almost 800 positions over the last two school years to stay afloat.
    — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of afloat
Verb
  • When he’s described as cowardly in print by the ever-hovering gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Sarah Drew, Grey’s Anatomy), Stewart follows his instincts and enlists.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Bitcoin is hovering around the $80,000 mark, lifting the broader crypto space.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of hovering
Verb
  • The British manufacturer may have realized that the typical Tiger 1200 spends considerably more time eating up highway miles, tackling daily commutes and wandering along the occasional gravel track than navigating genuinely challenging terrain.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Vision, meanwhile, explores a more attenuated past by wandering through basement rooms, connecting with AIs spanning the history of his lineage.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of wandering
Verb
  • Seductive aquatic creatures luring sailors to a watery death is a story that pretty much originated with sailing itself.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026
  • When the Odyssey stopped sailing, the friend had spent less than a month on the ship.
    — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of sailing
Verb
  • The pack of dogs had been roaming onto an oil field in Oxnard, traipsing onto private property and walking perilously close to vehicular traffic.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The case went cold for six months until a detective recalled calling police about a Black man who was roaming in the Howard Beach neighborhood three months before Vetrano’s death, according to trial testimony.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of roaming
Verb
  • But the entire process is designed to keep as many of them swimming as possible.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • But here Judd, like Alexander himself, was swimming dead against the increasingly glamorous current of high architecture.
    — Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of swimming
Verb
  • Five people, including two children, were rescued this week in the South Pacific island nation of Kiribati after three months drifting at sea in a 20-foot skiff, authorities said.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Meanwhile, crash cymbals and electric guitar keep Rowland’s Carolina drawl from drifting too far into a folk sound.
    — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of drifting
Verb
  • The Villa Vie Odyssey had been cruising the world for at least 755 days as one of only a handful of ships that offered passengers the opportunity to rent or buy long-term or even permanent ​residences on board.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 4 Nov. 2026
  • You may be used to seeing police cars cruising through your neighborhood or helicopters flying overhead.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of cruising

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Cite this Entry

“Floating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floating. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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