afloat 1 of 2

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

afloat

2 of 2

adverb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of afloat
Adjective
But with the help of significant backing from prominent right-wing donors who had made their fortunes in business, Turning Point stayed afloat and gained momentum with students across the nation. Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2025 Findikoglu has weathered many storms since launching her brand in 2016, including sitting out the spring 2024 season to keep her business afloat. Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2025 And Wintour, who turns 76 next month, has been trying to keep the magazine business afloat. Matt Donnelly, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025 Program revenue keeps an organization afloat for most of the year, only to leave the team squeezed in months 11 and 12. Sherry Quam Taylor, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025 Thursday night's tough road test will give a great indication of whether Tagovailoa and this offense will be able to keep Miami afloat this season. Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025 For now, America’s economic engine is still revving, largely thanks to the group that’s typically responsible for keeping spending afloat. Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025 Credit scores are dropping nationwide, reflecting struggles Americans are having to stay afloat financially, according to FICO. Medora Lee, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025 The paradox of partnership Relationships often function like one-way life rafts, keeping men afloat while leaving women depleted. Vanessa Bennett, SELF, 10 Sep. 2025
Adverb
Once flush with venture capital dollars, many were now struggling to stay afloat. Amanda Lauren, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 With Johnson and Gordon down, the Bears have relied on Tyrique Stevenson, Nahshon Wright and Nick McCloud to keep them afloat. Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025 Similarly, Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf told CNBC Wednesday that his bank is seeing lower-income Americans struggling to stay afloat, despite larger companies seemingly doing well. Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025 In the nightmare scenario for a couple that has just started dating, Cherry lies about being a confident swimmer and ends up struggling to keep herself afloat in the ocean, so Laura has to jump in and rescue her. Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025 As the study notes, these costs must either be passed onto consumers, or absorbed by companies, forcing some to shutter and others to shed staff to remain afloat. Tiger Joyce, Boston Herald, 10 Sep. 2025 Now down three starters, the Royals will try to remain afloat in the American League Wild Card race. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025 The 49ers’ defense kept them afloat for much of the contest, but the offense couldn’t find paydirt. Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2025 On the streets of Caracas, word of the US strike is on everyone’s lips, but beyond being a popular talking point most people here are keeping calm and carrying on – while doing their best to stay afloat. Andrew Raine, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
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
  • 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
  • Blame the damp and moderate climate hereabouts or the particular ardor of the northern red-legged frog, but our target species is ready to hop anytime between early November and the middle of March.
    Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2024
Adverb
  • The only other shmup that looked this good on the Mega Drive was probably Ex-Ranza, known as Ranger-X abroad, but even that didn’t move at the pace Earthion does.
    Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • That insularity — reinforced by government policy — could slow the spread of its cultural exports abroad.
    Big Think, Big Think, 18 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Make software building available to all people everywhere.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • In the mid-2010s, the girlboss was everywhere.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Afloat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afloat. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

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