as in floating
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air
claimed that the UFO hovered a moment, then spun off into space at incredible speed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 hovering
Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2025
Disney+ churn rates had been steady at around 3-4 percent per month consistently this year, with churn rates at Hulu hovering at 4-5 percent per month.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025
So, oftentimes the thematic question is hovering around those kinds of themes, and then hopefully answering the right thing.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
The average age at Cyvl is 26 or 27, hovering around the age of its founders, according to Pelaez, who still serves as the CEO.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025
Weekly jobless claims remain volatile, hovering around 217,000 as of mid-October, while consumer confidence has stagnated at historically low levels.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Just smear fake blood on your face, get gussied up in your finest wedding attire, and make sure to pose throughout the night, your lips hovering just inches away from each other, but never quite touching.
—James Factora, Them., 17 Oct. 2025
But seeing a drone hovering over your private property can raise concerns about privacy and safety.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 15 Oct. 2025
Also hovering above is an expansive skylight.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
These sausage bites are the appetizer that will keep crowds hovering around the buffet table.
—Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2025
Disney+ churn rates had been steady at around 3-4 percent per month consistently this year, with churn rates at Hulu hovering at 4-5 percent per month.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025
So, oftentimes the thematic question is hovering around those kinds of themes, and then hopefully answering the right thing.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
The average age at Cyvl is 26 or 27, hovering around the age of its founders, according to Pelaez, who still serves as the CEO.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025
Weekly jobless claims remain volatile, hovering around 217,000 as of mid-October, while consumer confidence has stagnated at historically low levels.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Just smear fake blood on your face, get gussied up in your finest wedding attire, and make sure to pose throughout the night, your lips hovering just inches away from each other, but never quite touching.
—James Factora, Them., 17 Oct. 2025
But seeing a drone hovering over your private property can raise concerns about privacy and safety.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 15 Oct. 2025
Also hovering above is an expansive skylight.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hovering
Verb
-
The former ocean liner, which sailed from the 1930s to the 1960s, now serves as a floating hotel and offers paranormal after-hours tours.—
Kristine Hansen,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Oct. 2025
-
For architecture fans, the hotel can help set up journeys to pagods and temples over 700 years old; other excursions on offer include trips to floating fishing villages such as Cửa Vạn and Vung Viêng and ethical pearl cultivation.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Columbus continued to search for gold before sailing to the neighboring island, now known as Cuba.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Below Deck Sailing Yacht star Daisy Kelliher is sailing the seas with her very own new podcast, The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Of the other methods – including electrocution, lethal gas and hanging – lethal injection had the highest botch rate of more than 7%. ‘An embrace of brutality’ Still, states have remained averse to the firing squad, a position that experts who spoke to CNN believe stems from its overt violence.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The neutral material keeps it from looking like an eye sore and can be expanded for more hanging space as needed.—
Micaela Arnett,
Rolling Stone,
10 Jan. 2024
Verb
-
Drinking beers with everyone in this restaurant at this hotel, and going to a quarry and swimming with Brad and (executive producer) Mark Roybal.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
-
In June, a child drowned while swimming with his family at Hamilton Creek Park.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Outside, the aroma of turmeric, cardamom, and garam masala mingles with the sweet haze of incense drifting down the street and masking the underworld accused of hiding just around the corner.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
-
No leaves on the trees, few birds in the sky; the spacious vistas interdicted in all directions by armed men in black uniforms—police at the perimeter barricades, police on motorcycles, police drifting overhead in helicopters.—
Henry Freedland,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Rickwood, high in the right circle spotted a wide-open Zellers gliding down the opposite side of the slot.—
Tris Wykes,
Twin Cities,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Plus, the aluminum plates coated in ceramic amp up even heat distribution, gliding through hair without snagging.—
Beatrice Zocchi,
Vogue,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Here was the postwar American housewife—neatly dressed, pretty, poised, active—stepping unwittingly into a scene of utter depravity and sadism that reflected back at this wholesome young mother the darkest recesses of the human mind.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Wearing a sleeveless, moisture-wicking workout shirt suctioned to his imposing frame, Bowyer comes across as poised, calm — almost eerily so.—
DAVID AMSDEN,
Rolling Stone,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hovering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hovering. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share