1
as in to hover
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 to wander
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 dock
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 float
Brian Mann, NPR, 7 Feb. 2026
Connect with the Outdoors In addition to floating in the water, plan to spend time on land.
—Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 7 Feb. 2026
Charlotte Observer, 4 Feb. 2026
Stories involving a sitar, a surfboard, several root beer floats and a bride-to-be.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for float
Verb
After decades of practice and competition, American skaters Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea were finally on Olympic ice Friday, floating and twisting in perfect harmony in the team pair short program.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 7 Feb. 2026
Connect with the Outdoors In addition to floating in the water, plan to spend time on land.
—Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 7 Feb. 2026
Noun
Kids from a local Baptist church threw sticks and rocks at Nocturna’s Krampus float, according to Moore.
—Charlotte Observer, 4 Feb. 2026
Stories involving a sitar, a surfboard, several root beer floats and a bride-to-be.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for float
Recent Examples of Synonyms for float
Verb
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The latest tally marks an eight-week high and comes after a recent stretch where filings, which are considered a proxy for layoff activity, had hovered around two-year lows.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The service This is where Sofitel shines—attentive, multilingual staff who anticipate your needs without hovering.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
For something more low-key, wander down to the local beach from the hotel’s beach club, stopping off for a fresh coconut along the way.—
Harriet Compston,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Cherniack said Healey, who was identified for the first time Monday, was known to wander about the premises.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And that’s on top of all the amenities found throughout the Poconos Mountains resort, which include indoor and outdoor pools, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, bumper boats and go-karts, disc and mini golf, and fishing docks.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The mid-block dock for trucks to load and unload?—
Robert Yaro,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This has disrupted standing deployment plans, scrambled ships to sail thousands of miles and put increasing strain on vessels and equipment that are already facing mounting maintenance issues.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
If only the Rose of Nevada were to sail again, maybe the village’s fortunes could be reversed.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Luke Skywalker will roam Black Spire Outpost seeking knowledge of the Force and kyber crystals that power lightsabers.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Rock iguanas once roamed freely across the islands of Turks and Caicos.—
Madeline Weinfield,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The wharves and warehouses along Pratt Street burned fiercely.—
Jacques Kelly,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Situated down a wharf, with lobstermen docking with the day’s catch right outside your window, this posh eatery is the right way to treat yourself to Maine’s ocean bounty.—
Emma Simard,
Saveur,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For every young punk whose pedigree makes chasing mainstream attention feel a little like, say, nakedly swimming after a dollar on a fishing hook, there was someone else who saw it as an opportunity to escape their hometown and never look back.—
Sam Sodomsky,
Pitchfork,
14 Feb. 2026
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One swam under her boat and popped its head up right next to her.—
Rachel Roberts,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Snowflakes drift down like tiny nets, moving slowly and exposing lots of surface area, gathering more pollutants than fast-falling raindrops.—
Isabel Lopez,
Parents,
11 Feb. 2026
-
There will be debates over whether the games have drifted too far from the original Olympian model and whether some, less-popular sports should be discarded in favor of more crowd-pleasing competitions.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Float.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/float. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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