rafts 1 of 2

noun

plural of raft
as in loads
a considerable amount the babysitter had to listen to a whole raft of rules before she was allowed to even pick up the baby

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rafts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of raft
as in buoys

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 rafts
Noun
This type of maritime migration is different from the once-common arrivals of rafts and other homemade vessels that Cubans are known to use to escape their homeland, and the overloaded freighters and sailboats used by people fleeing Haiti. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026 The Coast Guard had dropped inflatable rafts in the water nearby, but the teen — who was suffering from hypothermia — was too weak to swim to them. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2026 Borders are porous; in jet planes and on rafts, desperate people cross oceans. — Robert Stone, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026 But there’s plenty to keep kids occupied here from pool toys and rafts to beachside games like jenga and bocce. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026 Some 680 rescuers eventually reached the Gyirong area by foot and via rafts. — Niranjan Shrestha, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 The group had been water tubing on the Muskegon River when their rafts, which were only meant to be used in a pool, broke apart and left them stranded, Jazman's mother, Teresa Hock, told WWMT. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Another historic beach club, Le Carillon (from 1937), features a stylish collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana, with the designers’ vivid Verde Maiolica pattern used for loungers, umbrellas, beach towels-- and even floating rafts. — Catherine Sabino, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Scientists will also be able to use satellite observations of the pumice rafts to hone estimates of the size of the eruption. — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rafts
  1. loads
  2. balloons
  3. dozens
  4. floats
  5. piles
  6. tons
  7. hundreds
  8. bundles
Noun
  • This is the kind of test that quickly separates a power station that merely has an impressive number printed on its case from one with an inverter and battery management system capable of handling tough, real-world loads.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Data collected from the test rig could allow manufacturers to design heat pumps and heat exchangers for high temperatures, large loads, and changing conditions.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of loads
Verb
  • Cut with a curved outer seam that balloons slightly through the thigh before tapering at the ankle, the shape is all about creating volume.
    — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 29 Dec. 2025
  • The mid-rise jeans have an exaggerated barrel silhouette that balloons out at the knee and tapers into a wide-leg fit at the ankle.
    — Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Definition of balloons
Noun
  • For Le Labo, Deborah Royer, global brand president and creative director, said the brand still operates with the mindset of an indie — even a dozen years post-acquisition.
    — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Israeli strikes in northern and southern Gaza killed three Palestinians and wounded at least a dozen others, according to health officials at Gaza hospitals.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of dozens
Verb
  • Fukushima floats another possible benefit, one that might appeal to the easily queasy, this writer included.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Named after the Victoria Regia, a water lily that floats in the Amazon, this hotel imbues Colombian flavor with elegant French touches.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of floats
Noun
  • The Rest and Relax Inn in Pensacola, Florida, was surrounded by piles of debris after it was stripped of roofing materials during a heavy hit from the hurricane last night.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Pictures show divers working among piles of ancient pottery, with ceramic plates and bowls scattered across the sandy seabed.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of piles
Noun
  • According to Colombian police accounts cited by El Tiempo, Pulido coordinated the shipment of approximately two tons of cocaine and 17 kilograms of heroin to Europe in 1999.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Moscow — By agreeing to open Russia’s taps and release hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel into a starving global market, the Kremlin has achieved something that raw military might on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine could never deliver.
    — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of tons
Noun
  • As a major bloc that has been able to apply pressure, the union has thwarted several efforts by Mamdani’s predecessors to ban the attraction, as hundreds of carriage operators make a living operating the buggies.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation on Monday into an overnight cyberattack on refrigeration systems at hundreds of French supermarkets.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of hundreds
Noun
  • There are also a couple of bike bundles which include accessories like a passenger guardrail, seat pads and foot boards, pannier bags, and a front rack.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This is helped by the fact that Amazon would like to become a one-stop shop for streaming subscribers, as evidenced by recent bundles.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of bundles

Browse Nearby Words

rafting
rafts
rag
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Cite this Entry

“Rafts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rafts. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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