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
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
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
Jonathan Odden, Artforum, 2 June 2026
There’s a graphic floating around of the luckiest and unluckiest teams in the league.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for 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
To my right was a picture of a pearlescent orb floating on a blank field.
—Jonathan Odden, Artforum, 2 June 2026
There’s a graphic floating around of the luckiest and unluckiest teams in the league.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for floating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floating
Adjective
-
Like many restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic, Verdes El Ranchero depended on the neighborhood to keep it afloat.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 May 2026
-
This poses a huge threat to communities around the nation and due to the gap in these critical roles, infrastructure and local businesses are struggling to stay afloat.—
Rose Van Alstine,
Fortune,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The search features display the fare code and the number of seats left in that fare class, and travelers can view more details about each fare class by hovering over the search result.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
-
But the plumes, cast-offs from the coast of Africa’s Saharan Desert, hovering a mile or so above the earth’s surface and moving routinely across the tropical North Atlantic Ocean, can suppress tropical activity like hurricanes.—
Howard Cohen
June 1,
Miami Herald,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Traveling even to a different Strip hotel could be bewildering, so tourists worn out by a day of wandering, people-watching and drinking didn’t seem to mind mediocre restaurants, content to stumble off to bed after a few turns at the tables.—
Winston Ross,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
John Slattery in Vladimir, wandering around on the sidelines, knocking back cocktails and running out to the backyard every hour or so to make sure his lettuce has been adequately watered.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Among the new lines sailing in Alaska are MSC, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and Virgin Voyages.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
The Michigan couple, both US nationals, had been sailing together for more than a decade, documenting their life at sea on social media.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Oh, and kids will love the peacocks roaming the grounds.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Populated by roaming peacocks, shaded by pine forests, and ringed by rocky coves overlooking the Adriatic Sea, the island is an easy day trip that blends the island’s natural beauty with plenty of cinematic Game of Thrones lore.—
Brittany Anas,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
As for the fish, which was reportedly found swimming in a plastic container in Irizarry’s backpack, it was taken to the Flagler County Humane Society.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
-
Born April 20, 1959, in Sittard, Netherlands, Hof has set multiple Guinness World Records for cold endurance including running a barefoot half-marathon above the Arctic Circle, climbing to 7,400 meters on Mount Everest in shorts and swimming under ice.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Although Nilsson would likely disagree, her work affirms that all of us are drifting toward oblivion, with the best days of our lives like so much confetti in the wind.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
The placement of the bite suggests the whale was likely scavenged after death, its body drifting belly-up through ancient seas.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Sighting Shebara The speedboat and its four passengers—the captain, the skipper, my aforementioned scuba instructor and I—are cruising along the water when a mirage seems to appear in the distance, strung out like giant pearls floating on top of the sea.—
Lauren Keith,
Robb Report,
30 May 2026
-
That deployment model remains relatively unusual within expedition cruising, where many vessels stay tied to a single geography.—
Rachel Ingram,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Floating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floating. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
