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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of hovering
New Atlas, 20 Feb. 2026
Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Operating under an experimental permit, the mission successfully transitioned the hydrogen-electric Robinson R44 from basic hovering to a complete airport traffic circuit.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 May 2026
The team hasn’t quite recovered its numbers, now hovering around six students.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Set just off the main strip, the almost-entirely al fresco restaurant is all twinkling candlelight and old school vibes, with tables set beneath the open sky with the mountains hovering in the distance.
—Christina Pérez, Vogue, 8 May 2026
The origin of the drones was unclear, but the French news agency AFP quoted Vyacheslav Chaus, governor of the neighboring Chernihiv region in Ukraine, as saying that Russian craft have been constantly hovering over the area and impeding the fire response.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 8 May 2026
And this also explains some of the fear that Reform, which is hovering around the twenties in national polls, could potentially lead the next government, whereas the German far-right party, the AfD, is also polling in the twenties but has no chance to form the next government.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
And hovering over all of it is the question of who Sanders will endorse.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 4 May 2026
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
Adjective
This is surprising for something that is supposed to require less hovering, especially if the host is out of hearing range of the device's alerts.
—New Atlas, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
Beaches, a nomination shut-out, was down $44,518 to $475,601, with attendance at the Majestic hovering around the 50% of capacity mark.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Operating under an experimental permit, the mission successfully transitioned the hydrogen-electric Robinson R44 from basic hovering to a complete airport traffic circuit.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 May 2026
The team hasn’t quite recovered its numbers, now hovering around six students.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Set just off the main strip, the almost-entirely al fresco restaurant is all twinkling candlelight and old school vibes, with tables set beneath the open sky with the mountains hovering in the distance.
—Christina Pérez, Vogue, 8 May 2026
The origin of the drones was unclear, but the French news agency AFP quoted Vyacheslav Chaus, governor of the neighboring Chernihiv region in Ukraine, as saying that Russian craft have been constantly hovering over the area and impeding the fire response.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 8 May 2026
And this also explains some of the fear that Reform, which is hovering around the twenties in national polls, could potentially lead the next government, whereas the German far-right party, the AfD, is also polling in the twenties but has no chance to form the next government.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
And hovering over all of it is the question of who Sanders will endorse.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 4 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hovering
Verb
-
The House Foreign Affairs Committee marked up 21 bills in a single session last month and eight separate, additional bills are floating around Congress related to advanced AI and export controls, including the Safe Chips Act and the Chip Security Act.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
-
Designed by Carlo Mollino, the floating 1950s retreat retains many of the legendary Italian designer’s original interiors and custom furnishings.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Opt for bigger hanging bulbs, discrete flickers, or even hanging sheaths.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
3 Apr. 2026
-
To maintain the immersive illusion, Iñárritu eschewed traditional hanging fabric.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The ban will affect passengers sailing on Utopia of the Seas, which visits Nassau on Tuesday, plus Oasis of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas in port at CocoCay.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
At the time of publication, the ship is sailing on a three- to four-day journey that began the evening of May 6 from Cape Verde to the Canary Islands, where Spanish authorities have agreed to assist the imperiled vessel.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
In addition, the action includes top-tier spider combat and awesome web-slinging and web-gliding traversal abilities.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
State and federal authorities are investigating after a man was captured on video in Hawaii throwing a rock toward an endangered Hawaiian monk seal swimming off the coast of Lahaina, Maui.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
This spring, biologists saw 77 fish swimming around in the hole.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Smoke from the Max Road Fire was drifting north and northwest Monday morning due to a light southeast breeze.—
Sergio Candido,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
-
The moon spends the day drifting through the numinous and intuitive sign of Pisces, pulling our attention inward.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
So my oldest, Richard, is super poised and has always sort of been the rock for our family.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Jones has played so well and has looked so poised, and the team has done such a solid job with him at the controls that there has been talk lately about a possible quarterback controversy brewing in the Bay Area.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hovering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hovering. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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