as in floats
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 hovers
Support for universal background checks usually hovers around 90 percent in public opinion polls.
—
John J. Donohue, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Officially, the prison can hold just over a thousand inmates, though its population often hovers well below that.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The homicide clearance rate is extraordinary for a city that hovers around 1 million residents.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
Today’s commercial planes spend most of their time at 30,000 feet (or more) where the temperature hovers around -40 degrees Fahrenheit, and temps as low as -70 degrees aren’t unheard of.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 23 Aug. 2025
The singer hovers in a genre limbo.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
The Chronic Health Gap The average life expectancy in industrialized countries hovers around 80 years.
—Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
The square exhibit hall hovers 40 feet above the ground, its weight supported by five pillars representing the five branches of the military.
—Jason Allen, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2025
The average discount on beauty products hovers around 50 percent, with Byredo, Chloé and La Mer ranking as the platform’s top three brands by revenue; its top three by units sold are Futurewise (which was shuttered in March), Goop and True Botanicals.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
John J. Donohue, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Officially, the prison can hold just over a thousand inmates, though its population often hovers well below that.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The homicide clearance rate is extraordinary for a city that hovers around 1 million residents.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
Today’s commercial planes spend most of their time at 30,000 feet (or more) where the temperature hovers around -40 degrees Fahrenheit, and temps as low as -70 degrees aren’t unheard of.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 23 Aug. 2025
The singer hovers in a genre limbo.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
The Chronic Health Gap The average life expectancy in industrialized countries hovers around 80 years.
—Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
The square exhibit hall hovers 40 feet above the ground, its weight supported by five pillars representing the five branches of the military.
—Jason Allen, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2025
The average discount on beauty products hovers around 50 percent, with Byredo, Chloé and La Mer ranking as the platform’s top three brands by revenue; its top three by units sold are Futurewise (which was shuttered in March), Goop and True Botanicals.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hovers
Verb
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Warren floats somewhere in the mix — anywhere between the hashes.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
12 Sep. 2025
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Nostalgia floats through the air as ’90s R&B fills the dining room.—
The Bon Appétit Staff,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That same month, MSC Cruises debuted the 6,762-passenger MSC World America, which sails on Caribbean itineraries out of the MSC Miami Cruise Terminal, the largest cruise terminal in North America.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Disney Cruise Line Disney sails Halloween on the High Seas voyages in September and October, where passengers will find special decor – including a magical Halloween tree – themed desserts and drinks and other festive activities.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Freya swims under, over, and along the waves, one after another.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
16 Sep. 2025
-
As big a part of life as swimming was, Ruff had no plans of competing in it until her son David—who’s 65, lives nearby, and also swims three to four days per week—decided to sign up for a meet himself.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Akerman turns the youths’ judgmental sociology into a romantic rhapsody with a shot that glides forward, from a wide view of Michèle and Paul submerged in a crowd to a tight double closeup of the two kissing.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
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Curie’s clean deodorant nourishes and protects the skin with a moisturizing, non-greasy formula that glides on smoothly without residue or irritation.—
Kristen Philipkoski,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But, as always, the talk drifts toward quarterbacks, that uniquely American job with uniquely American responsibilities.—
Seth Wickersham,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
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Modern systems analyze patterns of active work, idle stretches and meeting length in real time, giving leaders a live feed of how productivity drifts through a day.—
Kolawole Samuel Adebayo,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hovers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hovers. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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