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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hovering
Mae Hamilton, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2026
Gold prices have been on a record-breaking roller coaster — after reaching an all-time high of more than $5,100 in late January, the precious metal's price has been hovering around the $5,000-per-ounce mark in mid-February.
—Liz Knueven, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2026
The weather was clearm with a waning crescent moon hovering low on the eastern horizon, as four humans strapped in for a rocket ride to space.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2026
Home sales hovering at around $300,000 at the beginning of 2020 climbed to about $500,000 by spring 2022, the real estate data showed.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
Despite rates hovering above 6% since September 2022, life goes on.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
Video captured from a rescue chopper hovering above Jamaica Bay showed the NYPD’s frogmen in action, with multiple divers crawling across the ice and plunging into the frigid waters to attach the victims to tethers, before the helicopters airlifted them to safety.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
That's about where the metal has been hovering in recent days following a price close to $120 per ounce in January.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
The service This is where Sofitel shines—attentive, multilingual staff who anticipate your needs without hovering.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
However, summer is typhoon season in Taiwan, and the weather is very toasty and muggy with highs regularly hovering around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
—Mae Hamilton, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2026
Gold prices have been on a record-breaking roller coaster — after reaching an all-time high of more than $5,100 in late January, the precious metal's price has been hovering around the $5,000-per-ounce mark in mid-February.
—Liz Knueven, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2026
The weather was clearm with a waning crescent moon hovering low on the eastern horizon, as four humans strapped in for a rocket ride to space.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2026
Home sales hovering at around $300,000 at the beginning of 2020 climbed to about $500,000 by spring 2022, the real estate data showed.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
Despite rates hovering above 6% since September 2022, life goes on.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
Video captured from a rescue chopper hovering above Jamaica Bay showed the NYPD’s frogmen in action, with multiple divers crawling across the ice and plunging into the frigid waters to attach the victims to tethers, before the helicopters airlifted them to safety.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
That's about where the metal has been hovering in recent days following a price close to $120 per ounce in January.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
The service This is where Sofitel shines—attentive, multilingual staff who anticipate your needs without hovering.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hovering
Verb
-
Community ‘heartbroken’ over sewage spill Philip Gray used to enjoy paddling down the river in a canoe or floating in an inner tube, beer in hand, toward his home in Cabin John.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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So far, the data is limited on the efficacy of dry floating compared to wet floating.—
Shelby Hartman,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Leaving either of those bare was a topic of discussion, Carney says; a trade-off between the goal of paying homage to Steinway’s legacy and getting enough hanging space.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
9 Feb. 2026
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Max Houser 6-Tier Hanging Closet Shelf Instantly create more hanging space with this fabric shelving unit that makes use of otherwise dead vertical space.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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On March 7, 1949, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) were stationed on a boat called the R/V Atlantis that was sailing off the coast of Bermuda.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
20 Feb. 2026
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The fleet comprises aging vessels and tankers owned by nontransparent entities with addresses in non-sanctioning countries, and sailing under flags from such countries.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
For every young punk whose pedigree makes chasing mainstream attention feel a little like, say, nakedly swimming after a dollar on a fishing hook, there was someone else who saw it as an opportunity to escape their hometown and never look back.—
Sam Sodomsky,
Pitchfork,
14 Feb. 2026
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Homewood-Flossmoor’s Kendra Hayden was looking for something to fill her athletic downtime between swimming in the fall and water polo in the spring.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That experience of drifting and searching directly shaped the film’s narrative structure.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
-
However, blowing and drifting snow producing significant visibility restrictions will continue above 6000 feet elevation, even during the break in snowfall.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Dozens of ghostly, see-through bodies gliding through dark underground water, armed with teeth and claws, completely hidden from the world above.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Feb. 2026
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But Hartman set the tone with a gliding layup just three seconds into the game.—
Bobby Narang,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Hovering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hovering. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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