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
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Recent Examples of rafts
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026
Four river events for kayaks, rafts and stand-up paddleboards have been moved from Gore Creek in Vail to river venues that are 35-60 miles away.
—John Meyer, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026
The plane’s pieces are now, in effect, life rafts (though there are some actual oversize yellow inflatable rafts aboard that will come into play).
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
The rafts have to be able to withstand exposure for 30 days, according to a code put out by the International Maritime Organization.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
About a mile from Parnell Beach, a group of men on jet skis began riding close to the Beards’ rafts at high speeds, the lawsuit said.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 16 Apr. 2026
The tactic has become more popular with smugglers as police on the beaches try to thwart crossings by puncturing the rafts that groups of migrants have to inflate and carry to the water.
—ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
To keep the poly from taking on water and sinking, use pool balls and blow-up rafts to support the poly.
—Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
From then on, the storytelling goes slack and perfunctory as sharks swarm and chomp on passengers and crew clinging for dear lives on rafts or slabs of plane wreckage.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026
Four river events for kayaks, rafts and stand-up paddleboards have been moved from Gore Creek in Vail to river venues that are 35-60 miles away.
—John Meyer, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026
The plane’s pieces are now, in effect, life rafts (though there are some actual oversize yellow inflatable rafts aboard that will come into play).
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
The rafts have to be able to withstand exposure for 30 days, according to a code put out by the International Maritime Organization.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
About a mile from Parnell Beach, a group of men on jet skis began riding close to the Beards’ rafts at high speeds, the lawsuit said.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 16 Apr. 2026
The tactic has become more popular with smugglers as police on the beaches try to thwart crossings by puncturing the rafts that groups of migrants have to inflate and carry to the water.
—ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
To keep the poly from taking on water and sinking, use pool balls and blow-up rafts to support the poly.
—Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rafts
Noun
-
Since 2023, McLane routes using this technology logged 280,000 autonomous miles in Texas, covering 1,400 loads delivered to restaurants.—
Eric Rosenbaum,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
-
Between 2018 and early 2025, radiology case loads skyrocketed 25%, according to the Journal of the American College of Radiology.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Price, who has represented the district since 2013, faces a dozen felony charges, including grand theft by embezzlement of public funds, conflict of interest and perjury.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
9 May 2026
-
The morning after the première, Magyar and the two filmmakers gave a press conference to about two dozen Italian reporters.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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
Noun
-
At Crandon Park Beach, a crew shooting an ad for Bush’s Baked Beans adjusted their camera angles to crop the piles of seaweed out of the frame.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
9 May 2026
-
Both residents and tourists cruise around on single-speed bikes, parking them in haphazard piles to shop in luxury boutiques, visit the famous Sunday market for clothing and home goods, or grab a cappuccino in a glitzy café.—
Rebecca Rose,
Travel + Leisure,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Known as Wingspan, the 6,150-square-foot residence takes its name from the parabolic roofline that floats above the structure like an airplane wing.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
8 May 2026
-
Hathaway’s White Queen floats with sweet highs and dark lows, her heavenly air masking a morbid psychosis.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
This savory bread pudding has tons of flavor and texture from ingredients like French bread that's been baked in a rich Parmesan custard.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
-
Multiplied across a day, their rate would have been over seventy-five tons per day per man.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Sacramento’s political establishment backed Maple’s challenger, and hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into the race.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
10 May 2026
-
Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft have been plowing hundreds of billions of dollars a year into AI.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
The Pistil plugin bundles Orchid’s synth emulators into a format that can live inside any digital audio workstation and launches with 10 new sounds and discounted pricing for existing hardware owners.—
SPIN Staff,
SPIN,
5 May 2026
-
May 4 to May 11, the team will offer seven bundles available during the event.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rafts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rafts. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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