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

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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

Mimicking tangled seaweed For the design, the scientists drew inspiration from floating mats of seaweed and naturally occurring Neptune balls. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2026 Add glass inserts, remove doors, or replace cabinets with floating shelves for a fresh, modern look. — Barbara Bellesi Zito, The Spruce, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for floating

Recent Examples of Synonyms for floating

Adjective

Yet many of them are stuck on an exhausting financial hamster wheel, continually grinding to stay afloat.

— Justin Donald, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Like other groups cut off from funds, Estrella del Paso has patched together philanthropy and reserves in an attempt to stay afloat.

— Sarah Matusek, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of afloat

Verb

Shares are down more than 28 percent over the past month, currently hovering around $114, which is miles below its mid-June record high of $225.

— Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 6 Aug. 2026
Future tests could include trying to use giant arms at its Starbase launching site in Texas to grab the rocket and its booster upon its hovering return to earth.

— Bernard Condon, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of hovering

Verb

Mornings can easily be filled wandering the grounds, and afternoons could disappear beside one of the two pools or beneath an olive tree with a good book.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Aug. 2026
Trump's quick save for wandering toddler sets up a Biden joke that steals the show.

— , FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of wandering

Verb

Would Alejandro González Iñárritu’s breathlessly awaited, Tom Cruise vehicle Digger be sailing to the Lido?

— Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Aug. 2026
While Homer followed warriors sailing home from Troy, the playwright Euripides — writing some three centuries later — turned to the city’s ruins and its women, forced into exile and enslavement.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of sailing

Verb

With the incident over the weekend, a bystander reported seeing the lifeguard’s rescue torpedo come about 6 to 8 feet out of the water, shortly after the lifeguard had begun swimming back toward shore.

— Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2026
In Maryland, where over two dozen cases have been confirmed so far this year, health officials warned people to be cautious about swimming in Chesapeake Bay.

— Mark Strassmann, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of swimming

Verb

There’s little sense of forward motion in these tracks, but even when simply drifting in place, the blend of atmosphere and physicality—sunset glow meets seismic throb—is payoff enough.

— Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026
The capital is drifting down-market, into hands-on companies.

— Louis Mosca, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of drifting

Verb

Blakely left her floor error behind her on vault, cruising through her easy Lopez vault.

— Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
The Caribbean is a region almost purpose-built for cruising—closely set islands that offer immense diversity in culture and history, each with their own siren lure.

— Scott Laird, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruising

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floated

floating

floats

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

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Synonyms of floating

adjective

verb

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