flotation
Americannoun
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an act or state of floating.
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the launching of a commercial venture, bond issue, loan, etc.
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Metallurgy. a process for separating the different minerals in a mass of powdered ore based on their tendency to sink in, or float on, a given liquid.
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the science of floating bodies.
noun
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the launching or financing of a commercial enterprise by bond or share issues
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the raising of a loan or new capital by bond or share issues
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power or ability to float; buoyancy
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Also called: froth flotation. a process to concentrate the valuable ore in low-grade ores. The ore is ground to a powder, mixed with water containing surface-active chemicals, and vigorously aerated. The bubbles formed trap the required ore fragments and carry them to the surface froth, which is then skimmed off
Etymology
Origin of flotation
First recorded in 1800–10; float + -ation; compare French flottaison ( see flotsam)
Explanation
When something is buoyant, carried on the surface of water, that's flotation. If you have a swimming pool in your backyard, you definitely need at least one unicorn-shaped flotation device. The ability to float is flotation, which can also be spelled floatation. A flotation device can be a safety feature on a boat, like the floating foam rings that can be used in case of emergency or the life jackets sailors wear. It can also be for fun, like an inflatable raft you use for floating around a pond. The Old English root of flotation is flotian, "to rest on the surface of water."
Vocabulary lists containing flotation
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
CEO Mensch told French parliamentarians this month that the company's best shot at independence is an eventual stock market flotation.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
The chain is improbable but unmistakable: Harrison’s protest, the flotation of Northern Songs, Grade’s takeover, Jackson’s coup, Sony’s consolidation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
Octopus founder and chief executive Greg Jackson told the BBC there was "every chance" Kraken would list its shares "in the medium term", with the location of the flotation "between London and the US".
From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025
The move paves the way for Kraken to be demerged from Octopus, and for a potential stock market flotation for the business in the future.
From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025
When I first heard of this monastery I laughed out loud, but now the image of dot-com moguls scrubbing for the good of their souls presents itself as a psychic flotation device.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
