1
as in hovered
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air
a canoe floating down the river particles of dust floating in the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wandered
to move about from place to place aimlessly
lost touch with a childhood friend who spent much of his adult life floating from place to place
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of floated
In a Signal group chat earlier this year with other Silicon Valley elite, Brin floated the idea of raising hundreds of millions of dollars to influence California politics, according to a person who saw the message.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
McCrory also floated the possibility of Henry starting a new program at Blue Hills to help people obtain judicial pardons.
—Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026
In June 2025, balloons that floated into power lines in Philadelphia triggered a fire that damaged homes and injured two children, according to NBC10.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The idea of a toll was floated as Iran has reportedly installed a tool booth system for ships seeking the Strait of Hormuz.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 Apr. 2026
Allies of the United States are responding to an internal Pentagon email that allegedly floated several ideas for punishing uncooperative members of NATO.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2026
Republican senators — and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — floated congressional and inspector general investigations as a substitute; Pirro settled on the latter.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Under the amendment being floated in Springfield, income over $1 million would be taxed at 3%.
—Ben Szalinski, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
This possibility was floated during a closed door meeting of EU ambassadors last week, reported by Reuters.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
McCrory also floated the possibility of Henry starting a new program at Blue Hills to help people obtain judicial pardons.
—Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026
In June 2025, balloons that floated into power lines in Philadelphia triggered a fire that damaged homes and injured two children, according to NBC10.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The idea of a toll was floated as Iran has reportedly installed a tool booth system for ships seeking the Strait of Hormuz.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 Apr. 2026
Allies of the United States are responding to an internal Pentagon email that allegedly floated several ideas for punishing uncooperative members of NATO.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2026
Republican senators — and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — floated congressional and inspector general investigations as a substitute; Pirro settled on the latter.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Under the amendment being floated in Springfield, income over $1 million would be taxed at 3%.
—Ben Szalinski, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
This possibility was floated during a closed door meeting of EU ambassadors last week, reported by Reuters.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floated
Verb
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When the runners landed in Antarctica, temperatures hovered around 12 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds reaching 25 knots.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Brent oil futures prices have averaged around $100 in April, while the spot price for the delivery of actual cargo has hovered closer to $121 per barrel.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The back parking lot, once a nasty no man’s land where drunken customers wandered off to urinate, has recently been transformed into a performance space that has hosted small gigs including Duane Betts.—
Jimmy Jellinek,
SPIN,
27 Apr. 2026
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But, as Chen and Shrivastava wandered a Texas restaurant conference, a Dallas heating and air company called Rescue Air found them.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Chase Elliott was supposed to be the guy, but that ship sailed a long time ago.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Both the attorney general and state treasurer Republican candidates sailed through their GOP nominations unchallenged at the convention Saturday.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Scientists have studied giant octopus relatives that roamed when dinosaurs were around, and researched some small octopuses that drilled into clams.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
My father roamed from the Beverly Hills Hilton to Chateau Marmont, arguing the case for his best Chardonnays.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Although San Francisco Bay is cold, the fitness icon Jack La Lanne once swam to the island pulling a rowboat, and several children also made the swim.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
-
At the event, children could make paper at an activity table and experience animals inside the museum, including Augie, a red-eared slider turtle, who swam to the surface briefly when visitors peered into the pool.—
Karie Angell Luc,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By Wednesday’s Game 5 of this first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors, the motto had drifted down toward the bottom of the giveaways, and the font size shrank.—
Eric Koreen,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Their most familiar neighbor was the occasional manatee that drifted by their home.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Earlier on Sunday, Sai Sudharsan continued his fine form with 87 runs off 46 balls as Gujarat Titans strolled to an eight-wicket win over host Chennai Super Kings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
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Yet, as throngs of people strolled the three-block downtown on a recent April weekend, past American flag streamers, patriotic bunting and red brick colonial buildings, there was scant visible evidence of that polarization.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sheehan cruised through the first three innings, recording seven strikeouts his first time through the Cubs’ batting order and retiring 10 batters in a row.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Long before the Kraken haunted sailors’ tales, something just as monstrous actually cruised the ancient seas — and scientists just found the proof.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Floated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floated. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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