1
as in hovers
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wanders
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
as in docks
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers
the crew put the cargo on the float before heading back down the river
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of floats
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025
Nostalgia floats through the air as ’90s R&B fills the dining room.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
In the backdrop, Amin, her troubled addict brother, played by Tahar Rahim, floats in and out of their lives.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
Brightly colored blocky floats bob down the lazy river which weaves through arch ways that look like they have been made from giant Lego bricks.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
There’s an early scene in Poetic License, Maude Apatow’s directorial debut, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend, in which an idiosyncratic college senior with family money, played by Cooper Hoffman, floats the idea of creating a LinkedIn account.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Others say the dot of dark red grease that floats on top of a bowl of this gravy resembles an eye, a bit like a swirling hurricane eye.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
Guests are encouraged to live fully in the space, where morning coffee brews in a Hay French press, poolside afternoons are spent on Oliver James floats, and alfresco dinners happen amid DWR’s Terassi outdoor teak furniture (all of which, naturally, is for sale).
—John Wogan, Robb Report, 6 Sep. 2025
Professor Orloff is a severed head that floats in a jar.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Keith Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
Boise Pride said 65 groups entered the parade, including 25 floats and vehicles.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 8 Sep. 2025
Once the underground portion of the tour is complete, head upstairs for the American Celebration on Parade, which features a collection of parade floats and props from historical national events.
—Tykesha Spivey Burton, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
The top of one of the floats holds a round onboard control panel, which contains a power button, a Bluetooth pairing button, an LED ring, and a proprietary two-pin charging port protected by a rubber cover.
—PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2025
Children chase candy thrown from floats, residents grill on sidewalks and share food with neighbors.
—Meredith Nierman, NPR, 19 Aug. 2025
Altadena residents gather at the homes of friends and relatives to watch the floats line up before dawn on New Year’s Day.
—Jill Cowan, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Menu items include CakeShakes that blend homemade cake inside a milkshake, homemade macarons, floats, dessert nachos and ice cream.
—Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025
Watch processions of glowing pole lanterns at the Akita Kanto Festival, marvel at the colorful floats of the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, and see Sendai explode with kaleidoscopic decorations during the Tanabata Festival.
—Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
Warren floats somewhere in the mix — anywhere between the hashes.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025
Nostalgia floats through the air as ’90s R&B fills the dining room.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
In the backdrop, Amin, her troubled addict brother, played by Tahar Rahim, floats in and out of their lives.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
Brightly colored blocky floats bob down the lazy river which weaves through arch ways that look like they have been made from giant Lego bricks.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
There’s an early scene in Poetic License, Maude Apatow’s directorial debut, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend, in which an idiosyncratic college senior with family money, played by Cooper Hoffman, floats the idea of creating a LinkedIn account.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Others say the dot of dark red grease that floats on top of a bowl of this gravy resembles an eye, a bit like a swirling hurricane eye.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
Guests are encouraged to live fully in the space, where morning coffee brews in a Hay French press, poolside afternoons are spent on Oliver James floats, and alfresco dinners happen amid DWR’s Terassi outdoor teak furniture (all of which, naturally, is for sale).
—John Wogan, Robb Report, 6 Sep. 2025
Professor Orloff is a severed head that floats in a jar.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
Above her headboard, a small square painting floats on a blank wall like a postage stamp, recalling a cross above the bed.
—Keith Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
Boise Pride said 65 groups entered the parade, including 25 floats and vehicles.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 8 Sep. 2025
Once the underground portion of the tour is complete, head upstairs for the American Celebration on Parade, which features a collection of parade floats and props from historical national events.
—Tykesha Spivey Burton, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
The top of one of the floats holds a round onboard control panel, which contains a power button, a Bluetooth pairing button, an LED ring, and a proprietary two-pin charging port protected by a rubber cover.
—PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2025
Children chase candy thrown from floats, residents grill on sidewalks and share food with neighbors.
—Meredith Nierman, NPR, 19 Aug. 2025
Altadena residents gather at the homes of friends and relatives to watch the floats line up before dawn on New Year’s Day.
—Jill Cowan, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Menu items include CakeShakes that blend homemade cake inside a milkshake, homemade macarons, floats, dessert nachos and ice cream.
—Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025
Watch processions of glowing pole lanterns at the Akita Kanto Festival, marvel at the colorful floats of the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, and see Sendai explode with kaleidoscopic decorations during the Tanabata Festival.
—Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floats
Verb
-
Support for universal background checks usually hovers around 90 percent in public opinion polls.—
John J. Donohue,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Officially, the prison can hold just over a thousand inmates, though its population often hovers well below that.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Anthony Mackie plays himself as a self-serious star making a deeply personal, awards-bait movie, whereas Dave Franco wanders around drunk and high on weed and mushrooms.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
-
As one wanders out into a field, rod in hand, ready for the twitch.—
Leila Chatti
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports largemouth bass fishing is good at Grand Lake with crank baits, plastic worms or spinner baits around brush and docks.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Sep. 2025
-
For centuries, islanders lined fishing docks below the castle, waving handkerchiefs at ships setting sail for America.—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That same month, MSC Cruises debuted the 6,762-passenger MSC World America, which sails on Caribbean itineraries out of the MSC Miami Cruise Terminal, the largest cruise terminal in North America.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Disney Cruise Line Disney sails Halloween on the High Seas voyages in September and October, where passengers will find special decor – including a magical Halloween tree – themed desserts and drinks and other festive activities.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Jack the Ripper roams the streets in search of his next victim.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
-
In a video, Billy Ray roams a large grassy field while listening to the song on his phone.—
Rachel DeSantis,
People.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Freya swims under, over, and along the waves, one after another.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
16 Sep. 2025
-
As big a part of life as swimming was, Ruff had no plans of competing in it until her son David—who’s 65, lives nearby, and also swims three to four days per week—decided to sign up for a meet himself.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But, as always, the talk drifts toward quarterbacks, that uniquely American job with uniquely American responsibilities.—
Seth Wickersham,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Modern systems analyze patterns of active work, idle stretches and meeting length in real time, giving leaders a live feed of how productivity drifts through a day.—
Kolawole Samuel Adebayo,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The infrastructure humans build in the water ‒ houses, piers, wharves, jetties, and even oil rigs ‒ create new habitats for juvenile jellyfish, called polyps, to attach and grow, Bologna said.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Floats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floats. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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