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
Tori Latham, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
Hathaway’s White Queen floats with sweet highs and dark lows, her heavenly air masking a morbid psychosis.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
One idea the team floats is that zinc and manganese are limited resources, so scorpions can only reinforce the most critical parts of the stingers instead of spreading the metals across their entire exoskeleton.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026
The toxic dust floats to neighboring states, such as Wyoming and Idaho during strong wind events.
—Saige Miller, NPR, 24 Apr. 2026
Little children wave and call out, while their parents work the soil with hoes and the smell of eucalyptus floats across the air.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Apr. 2026
My favorite detail is the red ribbon on Giovanna’s right shoulder, which fastens her sleeve to her dress and floats over the darkness.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
So Fasanara floats the cash, collects interest from the seller and directly assumes payment from the buying squad.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Just as Earth has two very different poles — the Antarctic south pole, marked by a massive continent, and the icy north pole, whose ice floats atop the waters of the Arctic ocean — so too does Saturn.
—Big Think, 15 Apr. 2026
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2026
There will be floats, performers and community groups parading down Chapman Avenue.
—Heather McRea, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
Those floats, however, were not engineered for an animal of Chonkers’ caliber.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
For the California sea lions — which can grow up to 700 pounds, per NOAA — harbor staff can gently guide them to one of the 42 wooden floats so boaters can go about their business.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
This is why ice floats, and why bodies of water freeze from the top down, allowing underwater life to survive the winter.
—Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 27 Apr. 2026
Three people were rescued Wednesday off the northern Outer Banks, after winds blew their floats more than a mile away from the coast, the Corolla Fire & Rescue Squad reported in an April 22 news release.
—Mark Price
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Fort Lauderdale airport travelers may catch some vacation vibes at the sight of seven brightly colored bird sculptures that resemble large pool floats.
—Megan Vaz, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
Macy's influence stretched far beyond its parades The giant floating balloons, floats, and performers that Americans see on TV today have become perhaps the biggest promotion for the start of the holiday shopping season.
—Randy Tucker, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
Known as Wingspan, the 6,150-square-foot residence takes its name from the parabolic roofline that floats above the structure like an airplane wing.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
Hathaway’s White Queen floats with sweet highs and dark lows, her heavenly air masking a morbid psychosis.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
One idea the team floats is that zinc and manganese are limited resources, so scorpions can only reinforce the most critical parts of the stingers instead of spreading the metals across their entire exoskeleton.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026
The toxic dust floats to neighboring states, such as Wyoming and Idaho during strong wind events.
—Saige Miller, NPR, 24 Apr. 2026
Little children wave and call out, while their parents work the soil with hoes and the smell of eucalyptus floats across the air.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Apr. 2026
My favorite detail is the red ribbon on Giovanna’s right shoulder, which fastens her sleeve to her dress and floats over the darkness.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
So Fasanara floats the cash, collects interest from the seller and directly assumes payment from the buying squad.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Just as Earth has two very different poles — the Antarctic south pole, marked by a massive continent, and the icy north pole, whose ice floats atop the waters of the Arctic ocean — so too does Saturn.
—Big Think, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
The most popular dirty sodas mimic familiar flavors from childhood — orange creamsicles, cherry vanilla cola and root beer floats.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2026
There will be floats, performers and community groups parading down Chapman Avenue.
—Heather McRea, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
Those floats, however, were not engineered for an animal of Chonkers’ caliber.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
For the California sea lions — which can grow up to 700 pounds, per NOAA — harbor staff can gently guide them to one of the 42 wooden floats so boaters can go about their business.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
This is why ice floats, and why bodies of water freeze from the top down, allowing underwater life to survive the winter.
—Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 27 Apr. 2026
Three people were rescued Wednesday off the northern Outer Banks, after winds blew their floats more than a mile away from the coast, the Corolla Fire & Rescue Squad reported in an April 22 news release.
—Mark Price
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Fort Lauderdale airport travelers may catch some vacation vibes at the sight of seven brightly colored bird sculptures that resemble large pool floats.
—Megan Vaz, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
Macy's influence stretched far beyond its parades The giant floating balloons, floats, and performers that Americans see on TV today have become perhaps the biggest promotion for the start of the holiday shopping season.
—Randy Tucker, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floats
Verb
-
Average annual income hovers around $58,000, reflecting a shortage of high-wage opportunities.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
-
Towing capacity hovers around 6,500 pounds (2,948 kg), depending on configuration.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Maybe once a month someone wanders into the Sacramento Turn Verein, curious about the place, according to member Uli Pelz.—
Graham Womack
May 2,
Sacbee.com,
2 May 2026
-
As Laugier’s story continues, the man wanders through a forest, stumbles upon fallen branches, and has an epiphany.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
About 210 miles northwest of Des Moines, this classic summer escape invites families to fish off docks and boat across West Okoboji or Big Spirit Lake.—
Taryn Shorr-Mckee,
Midwest Living,
4 May 2026
-
Just because a cruise ship docks in a destination doesn’t mean passengers have to get off there – and some ports may get skipped more than others among repeat guests.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Sooner or later, every ship sails off into the sunset.—
Elizabeth Heath,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 2026
-
The boat sails from Genoa in complete darkness, a precaution against air raids.—
Marcy Thompson,
Scientific American,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fernandes then roams towards that wing to support his team-mates and be in a position to attack the space behind Fulham left-back Ryan Sessegnon.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The five-person cast roams the room, sitting at various circular tables to blur the lines between script and improvisation.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The wharves and warehouses along Pratt Street burned fiercely.—
Jacques Kelly,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The Bionic Arowana swims around its enclosure autonomously by default, and it can also be steered by wireless remote control – although the latter would only work at quite a shallow depth.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Meatloaf now swims in the aquarium’s sea turtle rehabilitation area, which opened in January.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The song slowly drifts away, its job completed.—
Ben Cardew,
Pitchfork,
2 May 2026
-
In this haunting and visually inventive documentary, a spectral voice drifts through time and memory to trace the Maidan revolution and the roots of resistance in Ukraine.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Floats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floats. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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