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
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
New Atlas, 20 Feb. 2026
Noel Brennan, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
No publicist hovering off-screen.
—Ryan Brennan
march 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2026
Low toward the west blazes Venus, which serves as a convenient celestial landmark to make a sighting of Mercury, which will be hovering not far from it.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2026
According to Gallup, from 2010 to 2025, Republican views on capitalism and socialism remained fairly stable, with favorable views of capitalism hovering between 71% and 74% and favorable views of socialism staying mostly below 20%.
—Justin Callais, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Photographers stood poised, fingertips hovering over shutter buttons.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Makeup artist Yadim carried dark gothic lips onto the Cavalli runway, which read as a visual tribute to the dark cloud hovering over the world.
—Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2026
Service at the bars and restaurants on the ship was wonderful, too—attentive but never hovering.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
Cape Cod is hit the hardest overall, with adjacent Plymouth back as the coldest, hovering around 26,500 without power.
—Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 23 Feb. 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
As of Monday afternoon, gas prices in the Chicago area were hovering around $3 dollars per gallon.
—Noel Brennan, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
No publicist hovering off-screen.
—Ryan Brennan
march 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2026
Low toward the west blazes Venus, which serves as a convenient celestial landmark to make a sighting of Mercury, which will be hovering not far from it.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2026
According to Gallup, from 2010 to 2025, Republican views on capitalism and socialism remained fairly stable, with favorable views of capitalism hovering between 71% and 74% and favorable views of socialism staying mostly below 20%.
—Justin Callais, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Photographers stood poised, fingertips hovering over shutter buttons.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Makeup artist Yadim carried dark gothic lips onto the Cavalli runway, which read as a visual tribute to the dark cloud hovering over the world.
—Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2026
Service at the bars and restaurants on the ship was wonderful, too—attentive but never hovering.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
Cape Cod is hit the hardest overall, with adjacent Plymouth back as the coldest, hovering around 26,500 without power.
—Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hovering
Verb
-
Richard Jones, a crude oil analyst at Energy Aspects, told CNN that Iran has boosted exports since mid-February and private refineries can still access some Iranian oil through their floating storage vessels, most of which are off Singapore.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Guests can also book a special and more intimate dining experience on a floating platform, perched 50 meters above a nearby river convergence.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
To maintain the immersive illusion, Iñárritu eschewed traditional hanging fabric.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The roughly 650-year-old ship, which was likely sailing from China to Temasek, a historic settlement on the site of modern-day Singapore, contained a record haul of Yuan Dynasty porcelain, according to the paper that detailed its discovery.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
-
In June 2022, one American speedboat was sailing west of Cayo Fragoso, north of Villa Clara, and entered Cuba’s territorial waters.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The county uses only herbicides approved by state water regulators and the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and crews do not spray during bird nesting season or when endangered Southern California steelhead trout may be swimming upstream to spawn, the supervisor said.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Senior Luke Mechtel starred, swimming on two of the relays, while also winning individual titles in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard breaststroke.—
Pioneer Press,
Twin Cities,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The crowd skews stylish and occasion-driven, sometimes including wedding guests drifting into the lobby from the grand ballroom.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Unlike most comets, which originate in the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud, this icy wanderer formed around another star before drifting into our cosmic neighborhood.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Nolan Traoré provided an early spark, gliding into the paint for a soft floater over Wembanyama before knocking down a 3-pointer, but Brooklyn needed more from everyone else.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The hang-gliding simulation Soarin’ Over California was an instant hit, and Eureka!—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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 6 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
