1
as in hovers
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 wanders
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
as in docks
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers
the crew put the cargo on the float before heading back down the river
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of floats
Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
One idea the team floats is that zinc and manganese are limited resources, so scorpions can only reinforce the most critical parts of the stingers instead of spreading the metals across their entire exoskeleton.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026
The toxic dust floats to neighboring states, such as Wyoming and Idaho during strong wind events.
—Saige Miller, NPR, 24 Apr. 2026
Little children wave and call out, while their parents work the soil with hoes and the smell of eucalyptus floats across the air.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Apr. 2026
My favorite detail is the red ribbon on Giovanna’s right shoulder, which fastens her sleeve to her dress and floats over the darkness.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
So Fasanara floats the cash, collects interest from the seller and directly assumes payment from the buying squad.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Just as Earth has two very different poles — the Antarctic south pole, marked by a massive continent, and the icy north pole, whose ice floats atop the waters of the Arctic ocean — so too does Saturn.
—Big Think, 15 Apr. 2026
That’s because this stylish pair floats.
—Amanda Eyre Ward, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2026
Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
This is why ice floats, and why bodies of water freeze from the top down, allowing underwater life to survive the winter.
—Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 27 Apr. 2026
Three people were rescued Wednesday off the northern Outer Banks, after winds blew their floats more than a mile away from the coast, the Corolla Fire & Rescue Squad reported in an April 22 news release.
—Mark Price
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Fort Lauderdale airport travelers may catch some vacation vibes at the sight of seven brightly colored bird sculptures that resemble large pool floats.
—Megan Vaz, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
On an average day, Curaçao’s eclectic energy animates the island, but this period is especially boisterous—filled with costumed performers, twinkling floats, an abundance of music and good-natured, family-friendly revelry.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Macy's influence stretched far beyond its parades The giant floating balloons, floats, and performers that Americans see on TV today have become perhaps the biggest promotion for the start of the holiday shopping season.
—Randy Tucker, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
There have been parades around Old City with patriotic floats.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Carnival parades in Germany are famed for their floats mocking a wide variety of domestic and global political figures, and Putin has frequently been a target.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
Hathaway’s White Queen floats with sweet highs and dark lows, her heavenly air masking a morbid psychosis.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
One idea the team floats is that zinc and manganese are limited resources, so scorpions can only reinforce the most critical parts of the stingers instead of spreading the metals across their entire exoskeleton.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026
The toxic dust floats to neighboring states, such as Wyoming and Idaho during strong wind events.
—Saige Miller, NPR, 24 Apr. 2026
Little children wave and call out, while their parents work the soil with hoes and the smell of eucalyptus floats across the air.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Apr. 2026
My favorite detail is the red ribbon on Giovanna’s right shoulder, which fastens her sleeve to her dress and floats over the darkness.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
So Fasanara floats the cash, collects interest from the seller and directly assumes payment from the buying squad.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Just as Earth has two very different poles — the Antarctic south pole, marked by a massive continent, and the icy north pole, whose ice floats atop the waters of the Arctic ocean — so too does Saturn.
—Big Think, 15 Apr. 2026
That’s because this stylish pair floats.
—Amanda Eyre Ward, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
Those floats, however, were not engineered for an animal of Chonkers’ caliber.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
This is why ice floats, and why bodies of water freeze from the top down, allowing underwater life to survive the winter.
—Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 27 Apr. 2026
Three people were rescued Wednesday off the northern Outer Banks, after winds blew their floats more than a mile away from the coast, the Corolla Fire & Rescue Squad reported in an April 22 news release.
—Mark Price
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Fort Lauderdale airport travelers may catch some vacation vibes at the sight of seven brightly colored bird sculptures that resemble large pool floats.
—Megan Vaz, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
On an average day, Curaçao’s eclectic energy animates the island, but this period is especially boisterous—filled with costumed performers, twinkling floats, an abundance of music and good-natured, family-friendly revelry.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Macy's influence stretched far beyond its parades The giant floating balloons, floats, and performers that Americans see on TV today have become perhaps the biggest promotion for the start of the holiday shopping season.
—Randy Tucker, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
There have been parades around Old City with patriotic floats.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Carnival parades in Germany are famed for their floats mocking a wide variety of domestic and global political figures, and Putin has frequently been a target.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floats
Verb
-
The price tag for the renovation still hovers at its more than $900,000 estimate, Mortensen said.—
Kevin Fixler
April 29,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Anything below 50% favorability portends political trouble; right now Trump’s positive standing in polls hovers around a dismal 40%.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the clip, Rodrigo wanders through the Palace of Versailles, running from room to room before strapping on a pink guitar and rocking out.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The 56-year-old Williams has since found his mind often wanders through hazes of grief to memories of Thomas.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Between damp docks, muddy trails, and the occasional drizzle, they were quickly soaked and scuffed.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Photos and videos of Chonkers hopping onto docks and perching among his smaller California sea lion friends have garnered thousands of views on social media.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Where Silver Origin Sails Silver Origin sails two seven-night itineraries—North and South—each revealing a different side of the archipelago.—
David Morris,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The boat sails from Genoa in complete darkness, a precaution against air raids.—
Marcy Thompson,
Scientific American,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fernandes then roams towards that wing to support his team-mates and be in a position to attack the space behind Fulham left-back Ryan Sessegnon.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The five-person cast roams the room, sitting at various circular tables to blur the lines between script and improvisation.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The wharves and warehouses along Pratt Street burned fiercely.—
Jacques Kelly,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The infrastructure humans build in the water ‒ houses, piers, wharves, jetties, and even oil rigs ‒ create new habitats for juvenile jellyfish, called polyps, to attach and grow, Bologna said.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Meatloaf now swims in the aquarium’s sea turtle rehabilitation area, which opened in January.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The reigning Tri-Valley League MVP swims at Kingfish Swimming club.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In this haunting and visually inventive documentary, a spectral voice drifts through time and memory to trace the Maidan revolution and the roots of resistance in Ukraine.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Every time a breeze passes through, debris drifts down from rafters and corners onto your furniture and floor.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Floats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floats. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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