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
The United States shot down three more floating objects in the following days, then announced that there was no sign that any of them were connected to China. — Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2023 This tablet also comes with a full-sized floating keyboard that resembles Apple’s iPad Air and Pro Magic Keyboard. — Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2023
Verb
The game, built into iPads at each table, aligns with the plates floating by on the conveyor belt. — Jenna Thompson july 8, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026 From preparation to suiting up, and doing incredibly precise work with a spacesuit on while floating in the vacuum of space while tethered to the space station, spacewalks are incredibly hard work. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 7 July 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
  • And while the voucher may increase demand, facilities like this often have to leverage other sources of money to keep programs like Swim Buddies afloat.
    — Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 1 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, explosive growth in the military economy and stimulus spending on infrastructure and social benefits helped Russian households stay afloat, despite stoking inflation.
    — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Definition of afloat
Verb
  • Joe Raedle | Getty Images Mortgage rates have been hovering in a tight range for more than a month, and that range is on the relatively high side.
    — Diana Olick, CNBC, 8 July 2026
  • The Guajes de Ayala community had warned law enforcement that the cartel was closing in on their town and also shared videos of cartel drones hovering overhead and the location of cartel fighters inching closer to their homes on social media.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Definition of hovering
Verb
  • The fishing village has become the latest tourist destination to introduce a fine for anyone found wandering its streets bare-chested or in swimwear.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • Ángel Jesús Romero Audivet’s family has spent days wandering among the injured and the dead left behind by the earthquakes in Venezuela.
    — Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Definition of wandering
Verb
  • Royal Caribbean also paid homage to the original Legend of the Seas, which began sailing for the line in the 1990s until 2017, with a model of that ship on display in Schooner Bar.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Two other small tankers exited the Persian Gulf by sailing closer to Iran.
    — Weilun Soon, Fortune, 5 July 2026
Definition of sailing
Verb
  • My latest obsession is Trader Joe’s new Spicy Pink Salt with Crushed Red Chili Pepper, which sells for only $2, and is admittedly easy to miss when roaming down the spice aisle.
    — Aly Walansky, Southern Living, 6 July 2026
  • Looking for a place to cool off By early afternoon Friday in Washington, hundreds of people were roaming the grounds of the National Mall, home to the Great American State Fair.
    — Steven Sloan, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of roaming
Verb
  • Her three kids could be seen posing on the beach, getting ready to go swimming.
    — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
  • Then much farther north, a beach was closed to swimming in Maine after a report of two sharks near Reid State Park.
    — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of swimming
Verb
  • The chair owns much of the relationship architecture that allows both sides to work without drifting into passivity or intrusion.
    — David Ribott, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • Early in the first quarter, Stirtz highlighted his off-ball repertoire and spatial awareness in drifting to the left wing for an open 3-pointer — his first of two makes Saturday.
    — Latif Love, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2026
Definition of drifting
Verb
  • Senegal were cruising, courtesy of goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • Among the benefits of cruising is the fact that, for many Americans, getting to a ship doesn’t necessarily mean taking a flight.
    — Jane Wooldridge, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 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 12 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of floating for Spanish Speakers

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