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.
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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
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The pipes and drains in the building that had originally been a gas station and café — and is now the main office and gift shop — were so dirty that, in the basement, Echols found 13 lawnmowers floating in four inches of water.
—Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 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
Bluepoint Wind is an offshore wind project in the early stages of development off the coasts of New Jersey and New York, while Golden State Wind is a floating offshore wind project proposed off California’s central coast.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The pipes and drains in the building that had originally been a gas station and café — and is now the main office and gift shop — were so dirty that, in the basement, Echols found 13 lawnmowers floating in four inches of water.
—Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for floating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floating
Adjective
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Like many independent restaurants, Jon’s navigated a shifting culinary landscape in recent years, from pandemic disruptions to rising costs, all while making incremental changes to stay afloat, including adding beer and wine and participating in the Dana Point Harbor Certified Farmers Market.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
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Regulation should be precise enough to target exploitation without eliminating survival tools for homeowners trying to stay afloat.—
Jamie Smarr,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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With interest rates hovering above 20% on many cards, carrying a balance even for a few months can quickly snowball.—
Joshua Sidorowicz,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Today, with Apple’s market cap hovering around $4 trillion, that 10% stake could theoretically be worth more than $400 billion.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Still, the result is an inclusive fair with many works worthy of a serious look and a layout that rewarded wandering.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
-
There were clog dancers and baby animals wandering around.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
American Cruise Lines will also begin sailing to and from Philadelphia in June.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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The Global Sumud Flotilla set off for Gaza from Barcelona, Spain, earlier this month and was intercepted while sailing in the Mediterranean Sea near the Greek island of Crete.—
Rena Rowe,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Celebrate by roaming the stacks after dark at this festival.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Fish and wildlife officials advise people to remove bird feeders until the turkeys leave the area and install sprinklers if the wild fowl keep roaming into yards.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Wallace and her collaborators scrambled to get into the water; the whale was swimming in the wrong direction, toward some docks.—
Jessica Camille Aguirre,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
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Nicknamed Timmy by German media, the whale was spotted swimming near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, far from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Hyper-stylized and overtly sinister, the new trailer opens on Dakota Johnson drifting through a shadowy, intimate home wearing a silk robe.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
27 Apr. 2026
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Over 100 radioactive elements, tens of millions of curies, were sent drifting across the continent for 10 days.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To top it off, the X-Shinobi yachts are equipped with hybrid diesel-electric propulsion systems, ensuring a quiet and fume-free cruising experience for guests while helping to reduce the environmental impact of marine tourism.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
1 May 2026
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Peterson was cruising through the first three, however, the Nationals rallied for seven runs in the fourth to set up the blowout.—
James O'Connell,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Floating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floating. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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