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
Kristen Geil, Outside, 24 Feb. 2026
Visitors can paddle across its still surface on flat bamboo rafts or swim out to nearby monkey-less Monkey Island and spend the afternoon relaxing on its beautiful beach.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2026
And fire ants use their waxy, water-repellent coating and textured exoskeletons to trap air; during floods, thousands cling together to make buoyant, living rafts that can survive 12 days and possibly longer.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 3 Feb. 2026
They can be linked together to form rafts or floating platforms.
—Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Diving bell spiders, for example, trap air bubbles to survive underwater, while fire ants link their water-repellent bodies together to form floating rafts during floods.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Yet the massive Coast Guard operation to prevent Cubans, who usually arrive on homemade boats and rafts, and Haitians, usually arriving on overloaded sailboats and rustic freighters, from landing continued.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
In the summer, spider plants produce small white flowers and rafts of baby spider plants on long, wiry stalks that trail from the plant.
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2026
Struggling through the jungle on foot or building rafts.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Noun
People hurl wooden crates overboard, tumble off rafts, and frantically don life jackets—sometimes all at once.
—Kristen Geil, Outside, 24 Feb. 2026
Visitors can paddle across its still surface on flat bamboo rafts or swim out to nearby monkey-less Monkey Island and spend the afternoon relaxing on its beautiful beach.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2026
And fire ants use their waxy, water-repellent coating and textured exoskeletons to trap air; during floods, thousands cling together to make buoyant, living rafts that can survive 12 days and possibly longer.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 3 Feb. 2026
They can be linked together to form rafts or floating platforms.
—Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Diving bell spiders, for example, trap air bubbles to survive underwater, while fire ants link their water-repellent bodies together to form floating rafts during floods.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Yet the massive Coast Guard operation to prevent Cubans, who usually arrive on homemade boats and rafts, and Haitians, usually arriving on overloaded sailboats and rustic freighters, from landing continued.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
In the summer, spider plants produce small white flowers and rafts of baby spider plants on long, wiry stalks that trail from the plant.
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2026
Struggling through the jungle on foot or building rafts.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rafts
Noun
-
Because the engine can be controlled during flight, the system does not require the expensive thermal protection systems typically associated with extreme heat loads at hypersonic speeds.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Steyer has loads of his own money to spend on TV ads.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In response, Iran reportedly launched dozens of ballistic missiles toward Israel, according to Nour News, an outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Feb. 2026
-
But of 800 buildings, fewer than a dozen have been truly renovated.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 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
-
When the power fails, businesses close, employees lose wages, and spoiled inventory piles up.—
Israel Melendez Ayala,
Time,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Defeat piles pressure on Starmer before May elections Labour won just over half the vote in Gorton and Denton at the last general election in 2024.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Garden District is one of those areas that floats between yesterday and tomorrow, where Greek- and Italianate-style homes adorned with ornate cast iron and sweeping verandas provide shade for people watching and respite from the commercial center.—
Kristin Braswell,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Feb. 2026
-
But even with hundreds of objects, the show barely floats the question of how that chemistry operated, let alone explore it.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Long term persernce To build a sustainable lunar presence, robots must move thousands of tons of regolith to create stable infrastructure.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Gathered & draped silhouettes Lately, bodycon dressing has evolved to be less about showing tons of skin and more geared toward sensuously highlighting the figure.—
Alison Syrett Cleary,
Glamour,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Airlines canceled hundreds of flights in the Middle East, while others were diverted mid-flight amid airspace closures over a large area of the region due to security concerns.—
Nur Hikmah Md Ali,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The cancellations occurred as, globally, hundreds of thousands of travelers were stranded Sunday, according to the Associated Press.—
Matthew Ormseth,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Court officials explained that pain compliance pressure points target sensitive nerve bundles.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Back then kale was only available in bundles, if at all.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rafts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rafts. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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