as in loads
a considerable amount
the babysitter had to listen to a whole raft of rules before she was allowed to even pick up the baby
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 rafts
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Yet the massive Coast Guard operation to prevent Cubans, who usually arrive on homemade boats and rafts, and Haitians, usually arriving on overloaded sailboats and rustic freighters, from landing continued.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
In the summer, spider plants produce small white flowers and rafts of baby spider plants on long, wiry stalks that trail from the plant.
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2026
Struggling through the jungle on foot or building rafts.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Dive and technical rescue teams, including those equipped with rafts and drones, assisted in the recovery.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 6 Jan. 2026
These like weeks long adventures, hundreds of miles, huge packs, pack rafts and bikes, and no trails and bush so thick.
—Outside Online, 17 Dec. 2025
Flextail's new air pump for inflating mattresses, rafts, and pillows makes a strong case for a slot in your loadout with its diminutive build and ability to do double duty as a versatile lantern.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 12 Dec. 2025
Traditional jangadas, or rafts, take people to offshore reefs at Praia do Toque for snorkeling in water as calm as a bathtub.
—Jade Moyano, Travel + Leisure, 30 Nov. 2025
Noun
Diving bell spiders, for example, trap air bubbles to survive underwater, while fire ants link their water-repellent bodies together to form floating rafts during floods.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Yet the massive Coast Guard operation to prevent Cubans, who usually arrive on homemade boats and rafts, and Haitians, usually arriving on overloaded sailboats and rustic freighters, from landing continued.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
In the summer, spider plants produce small white flowers and rafts of baby spider plants on long, wiry stalks that trail from the plant.
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2026
Struggling through the jungle on foot or building rafts.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Dive and technical rescue teams, including those equipped with rafts and drones, assisted in the recovery.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 6 Jan. 2026
These like weeks long adventures, hundreds of miles, huge packs, pack rafts and bikes, and no trails and bush so thick.
—Outside Online, 17 Dec. 2025
Flextail's new air pump for inflating mattresses, rafts, and pillows makes a strong case for a slot in your loadout with its diminutive build and ability to do double duty as a versatile lantern.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 12 Dec. 2025
Traditional jangadas, or rafts, take people to offshore reefs at Praia do Toque for snorkeling in water as calm as a bathtub.
—Jade Moyano, Travel + Leisure, 30 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rafts
Noun
-
The company has been generating revenue since shortly after its founding in 2017, hauling loads for customers like Walmart in trucks with human safety drivers at the wheel.—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
There are loads of cool details hidden throughout the set, too, with refuelling pipes and a moving bridge that connects the tower to the Orion module.—
Ian Stokes,
Space.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Amazon has booked more than 100 launches to deploy dozens of satellites at a time.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Key among those are ports – more that three dozen of which across Latin America and the Caribbean are linked to Chinese companies, according to researchers at the Center for Strategic International Studies think tank in Washington.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cut with a curved outer seam that balloons slightly through the thigh before tapering at the ankle, the shape is all about creating volume.—
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
29 Dec. 2025
-
The mid-rise jeans have an exaggerated barrel silhouette that balloons out at the knee and tapers into a wide-leg fit at the ankle.—
Clara McMahon,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Satellite images show piles of dirt from the excavation growing in size.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The lobby, reminiscent of a living room, is designed with a mix of rattan lanterns, locally made ceramics, antique blue-and-white porcelain plates, potted plants, and piles of books.—
Gisela Williams,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Tucked on a hillside in the Rustic Canyon neighborhood, the house floats above a natural spring that flows through the property, resting on six concrete columns sunk 30 feet into the ground.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
-
An invisible ocean floats above our heads, so why not tap into it, literally?—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And the tweet is a neat part of why everyone seems happy in Clipperland these days, after tons of drama going back to the summer.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
According to the indictment, Wedding is accused of moving as much as 60 tons of cocaine between those countries, and his drug trafficking group is believed to be the largest supplier of cocaine to Canada.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That has included firing most of its previous board members, realigning its programming, securing hundreds of millions of dollars for renovations, and adding his name to the center.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Illinois averages hundreds of millions of dollars in flood losses annually.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Even before the expedition reached land, Islanders had gone out to the ships, paddling canoes or reed bundles, or just swimming, unafraid and unarmed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Budget airlines are offering more premium options in an attempt to increase revenue, including Spirit, which introduced new fare bundles in 2024 with priority check-in and their take on a first-class experience.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rafts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rafts. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
