as in floating
riding upon the surface of a body of liquid
the boat can't stay afloat much longer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in abroad
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Recent Examples of afloat
Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
Burglarizing the homes of those in his social circle and pawning the items just to stay afloat.
—Ryan Brennan
april 1, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
Gen Zers may be turning their tassels, flying the nest, and securing their first full-time jobs—but many are still bankrolled by mom and dad to stay afloat.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Across the country, stations have held funding drives and urged communities to make donations in order to stay afloat.
—Stephany Matat, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Small businesses need tourism to remain afloat but visitors should be mindful of traveling to areas where recovery efforts are underway.
—Tiare-Leiana Solis-Ridgell, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026
Tatum handled things fine with his supporting cast, but Brown's contributions this past season have kept the Celtics ship afloat.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Abandoned by her husband, Schiaparelli takes odd jobs, some via Picabia, to keep afloat.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2026
Last month Carr told Semafor that moving sports behind paywalls undermines a mission to keep local news afloat.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
The vessel remained afloat and drifted towards Libya's coast, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, a global conservation organization.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
But Steinberg diversified to stay afloat and has managed to keep a steady stream of customers.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
The Penguins are second in their division, keeping themselves afloat in the race for a playoff spot.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Herro kept the Heat afloat for awhile, scoring 23 in the first half and 31 through three quarters.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
For the first three hours after the calf was born, every whale present took a turn keeping it afloat.
—Nathan Rott, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
Wood’s later novel, Stone Yard Devotional, features another band of women in a remote location—nuns working to keep their abbey afloat, cut off from the world because of the coronavirus pandemic.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
What the footage showed is that, for the first three hours of the newborn’s life, the members of Unit A took turns keeping it afloat.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
After being blackballed from the finance sector, Coop resorts to burglarizing the homes of those in his social circle and pawning the items to stay afloat.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
Burglarizing the homes of those in his social circle and pawning the items just to stay afloat.
—Ryan Brennan
april 1, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
Gen Zers may be turning their tassels, flying the nest, and securing their first full-time jobs—but many are still bankrolled by mom and dad to stay afloat.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Across the country, stations have held funding drives and urged communities to make donations in order to stay afloat.
—Stephany Matat, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Small businesses need tourism to remain afloat but visitors should be mindful of traveling to areas where recovery efforts are underway.
—Tiare-Leiana Solis-Ridgell, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026
Tatum handled things fine with his supporting cast, but Brown's contributions this past season have kept the Celtics ship afloat.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Abandoned by her husband, Schiaparelli takes odd jobs, some via Picabia, to keep afloat.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2026
Last month Carr told Semafor that moving sports behind paywalls undermines a mission to keep local news afloat.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Adverb
The genre may, for better or worse, prove essential in keeping movies and theaters afloat for the foreseeable future.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
The vessel remained afloat and drifted towards Libya's coast, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, a global conservation organization.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
But Steinberg diversified to stay afloat and has managed to keep a steady stream of customers.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
The Penguins are second in their division, keeping themselves afloat in the race for a playoff spot.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Herro kept the Heat afloat for awhile, scoring 23 in the first half and 31 through three quarters.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
For the first three hours after the calf was born, every whale present took a turn keeping it afloat.
—Nathan Rott, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
Wood’s later novel, Stone Yard Devotional, features another band of women in a remote location—nuns working to keep their abbey afloat, cut off from the world because of the coronavirus pandemic.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
What the footage showed is that, for the first three hours of the newborn’s life, the members of Unit A took turns keeping it afloat.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afloat
Adjective
-
Companies with a smaller market value generally tend to have more floating rate debt than larger businesses.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Social media posts and years of reviewing cookie-cutter luxury hotels had conditioned me to equate floating breakfasts, monogrammed accessories, butler service, and aromatherapy menus as markers of a dreamy luxury vacation.—
Katherine Alex Beaven,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Oct. 2024
Adverb
-
There’s happier news for some people looking for a fresh start abroad, however.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
-
There have been thousands more protests across Europe and abroad.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
And while the absence of a hometown rooting interest obviously won’t translate into a total baseball blackout hereabouts, only someone who’s been clobbered over the head by Wonderboy might expect to see the World Series ratings reach the heights of last year.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
10 Oct. 2025
-
This time the recipient is area rancher Benjamin Bonney (Dermot Mulroney), who along with his thuggish sons is suspected of murdering anyone hereabouts who won’t surrender their own land to him.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
10 Jan. 2025
Adverb
-
There was Kobe Brown driving for an uncontested dunk over here, Quenton Jackson breaking down the Heat’s defense over there and Obi Toppin finding gaps in the Heat defense everywhere.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
-
As with the others, Bjorn and wife and creative director Julija’s thoughtful touches are everywhere, from the singular pieces of vintage decor that fill the rooms to the economical (and ecological) construction of the cabins.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Afloat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afloat. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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