as in floating
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air
claimed that the UFO hovered a moment, then spun off into space at incredible speed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hovering
Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
Despite rates hovering above 6% since September 2022, life goes on.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
Video captured from a rescue chopper hovering above Jamaica Bay showed the NYPD’s frogmen in action, with multiple divers crawling across the ice and plunging into the frigid waters to attach the victims to tethers, before the helicopters airlifted them to safety.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
This year’s game game gives us some juicy storylines, starting with the ghost of Super Bowl XLIX hovering over this matchup.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
Video posted to Instagram by Cessy Johnson shows a drone from Amazon's Prime Air delivery service hovering close to an apartment building on Wednesday afternoon.
—Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 6 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
And hovering over it all investigations and prosecutions of political enemies.
—James D. Zirin, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
As of press time, prices are hovering around $4,400 per ounce, about double the price just two years ago, drawing the attention of criminal groups looking to abuse the land and the local people for considerable profit.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 1 Feb. 2026
Verb
Home sales hovering at around $300,000 at the beginning of 2020 climbed to about $500,000 by spring 2022, the real estate data showed.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
Despite rates hovering above 6% since September 2022, life goes on.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
Video captured from a rescue chopper hovering above Jamaica Bay showed the NYPD’s frogmen in action, with multiple divers crawling across the ice and plunging into the frigid waters to attach the victims to tethers, before the helicopters airlifted them to safety.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
This year’s game game gives us some juicy storylines, starting with the ghost of Super Bowl XLIX hovering over this matchup.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
Video posted to Instagram by Cessy Johnson shows a drone from Amazon's Prime Air delivery service hovering close to an apartment building on Wednesday afternoon.
—Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 6 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
And hovering over it all investigations and prosecutions of political enemies.
—James D. Zirin, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
As of press time, prices are hovering around $4,400 per ounce, about double the price just two years ago, drawing the attention of criminal groups looking to abuse the land and the local people for considerable profit.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 1 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hovering
Verb
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Enjoy Jewish comfort food at its finest—light and fluffy matzo balls floating in a bowl of rich chicken stock and tender vegetables.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
11 Feb. 2026
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Putting a toe in the water, trying something new on for size, floating a trial balloon.—
Mark Woolsey,
AJC.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Max Houser 6-Tier Hanging Closet Shelf Instantly create more hanging space with this fabric shelving unit that makes use of otherwise dead vertical space.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Dec. 2025
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Of the other methods – including electrocution, lethal gas and hanging – lethal injection had the highest botch rate of more than 7%. ‘An embrace of brutality’ Still, states have remained averse to the firing squad, a position that experts who spoke to CNN believe stems from its overt violence.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This aerial view shows the Taiwanese cargo ship Yang Ming sailing out of the Panama Canal on the Pacific side in Panama City on October 6, 2025.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
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Later research, using records from the International Maritime Organization, showed that of the 204 reports of piracy and armed robbery worldwide in 2017, only three occurred in the region where Dad was sailing.—
Emilee Coblentz,
Outside,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The flavor was overwhelmingly oversized, proving that few things look as luxurious as swimming around in a gigantic khaki coat.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
4 Feb. 2026
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Tracking tags used by OCEARCH have revealed white sharks use the East Coast like a highway in the winter, swimming from Canada to warmer waters off Florida.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bitcoin was hanging just below $71,000 after drifting above the level during the weekend.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Instead of drifting away, those pollutants and smells are concentrating right in your neighborhood.—
Ahmad Bajjey,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Imagine the comfort of a Ritz-Carlton suite gliding along the Mediterranean, stopping at 28 ports across 10 countries.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
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Just as your boots are your foundation for gliding, your base layer is your foundation for comfort.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Jones has played so well and has looked so poised, and the team has done such a solid job with him at the controls that there has been talk lately about a possible quarterback controversy brewing in the Bay Area.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Nov. 2025
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Here was the postwar American housewife—neatly dressed, pretty, poised, active—stepping unwittingly into a scene of utter depravity and sadism that reflected back at this wholesome young mother the darkest recesses of the human mind.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hovering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hovering. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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