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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Recent Examples of hovering
Matt Emma, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
One way or the other, the current mood doesn’t feel sustainable, and the Penguins can’t enter the season with this speculation hovering over their heads.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Giddey and his representatives had been reportedly seeking an annual deal in the range of $30 million per, while the Bulls had initially been hovering around $20 million, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
The news comes as the production has also been seeing its grosses slump in the past several weeks, with capacity falling to just below 70 percent in the past several weeks and grosses hovering around $500,000 for the show, which has a high running cost.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Gallup surveys show employee engagement hovering at dismal levels globally.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Indiana municipal elections, where voters elect leaders such as mayors or city councilors, have historically low turnout rates, hovering around 20%.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 4 Sep. 2025
Lower elevations will see high temperatures hovering around 100 degrees with widespread 80s across the higher elevations.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Nearly a decade after a US Navy pilot reported an unidentified flying object shaped like a spindle hovering off the East Coast, scientists in China have built and tested a drone with a strikingly similar profile.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
No more hovering at the oven door.
—Matt Emma, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
One way or the other, the current mood doesn’t feel sustainable, and the Penguins can’t enter the season with this speculation hovering over their heads.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Giddey and his representatives had been reportedly seeking an annual deal in the range of $30 million per, while the Bulls had initially been hovering around $20 million, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
The news comes as the production has also been seeing its grosses slump in the past several weeks, with capacity falling to just below 70 percent in the past several weeks and grosses hovering around $500,000 for the show, which has a high running cost.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Gallup surveys show employee engagement hovering at dismal levels globally.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Indiana municipal elections, where voters elect leaders such as mayors or city councilors, have historically low turnout rates, hovering around 20%.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 4 Sep. 2025
Lower elevations will see high temperatures hovering around 100 degrees with widespread 80s across the higher elevations.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Nearly a decade after a US Navy pilot reported an unidentified flying object shaped like a spindle hovering off the East Coast, scientists in China have built and tested a drone with a strikingly similar profile.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hovering
Verb
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It’s designed to feel like a floating loft at sea, and, if built, will represent a completely new direction for Benetti.—
Katia Damborsky,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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For a longer journey, Johnson is impartial to his Osprey Aether pack for its airscape back panels, floating lids, and signature Fit on the Fly adjustments.—
Jillian Dara,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 2025, Thorne’s Netflix miniseries Adolescence became a global juggernaut, sailing to the top of streaming charts and sparking international conversation.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
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Products sailing out of Busan can be moved via two active trans-Pacific services that stop at the Port of Los Angeles.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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When role demands match instinctive strengths, work feels like swimming with the current instead of against it.—
Carrie Moore,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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The last attack in Sydney took place when a person swimming in shallow water was killed in February 2022, Reuters reported, marking Sydney's first fatal shark attack since 1963.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Any cell drifting in the skies is blasted with UV rays and desiccated.—
Katherine Bourzac,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
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Even an imperfect north star is better than drifting rudderless.—
Dr. Jonathan Reichental,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sightseeing boats depart regularly from Nyhavn and Gammel Strand, gliding past landmarks such as the Opera House, Christiansborg Palace and the Little Mermaid.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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The feeling of gliding through the water, along with the sense of flow and focus, keeps her coming back to the lanes.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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 18 Sep. 2025.
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