floater

[ floh-ter ]

/ ˈfloʊ tər /

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See synonyms for: floater / floaters on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person or thing that floats.

Informal. a person who is continually changing his or her place of abode, employment, etc.

an employee without a fixed job assignment: One of our officers works as a floater, filling in when someone is out.

U.S. Politics. a voter not attached to any party, especially a person whose vote may be purchased.

a person who fraudulently votes, usually for pay, in different places in the same election.

a speck or string that appears to be drifting across the eye just outside the line of vision, caused by cells or cell fragments in the vitreous humor registering on the retina; musca volitans.

Also called floating policy. Insurance. a policy that insures movable personal property, covering a loss in any location.

Finance. any security or note that has a floating rate.

Medicine/Medical Slang. a corpse found floating in a body of water.

Animal Behavior. a territorial animal that has been unable to claim a territory and is forced into undefended, marginal areas with limited resources.

Australian. a meat pie served in a plate of gravy or pea soup.

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Origin of floater

First recorded in 1710–20; float + -er¹

Words nearby floater

float bowl, float bridge, float chamber, floatcut file, floatel, floater, floaters, float-feed, float glass, floating, floating assets

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for floater

During the second half, Graham found space in the paint and sunk an easy floater, his first career basket.
James Graham III could still be in high school. Instead, he’s settling in at Maryland.|Emily Giambalvo|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
With pressure in his face, Roethlisberger shuffled and threw a panicky floater over running back Benny Snell’s head.
Browns shake off their history, secure first playoff win since 1995|Adam Kilgore, Des Bieler|January 11, 2021|Washington Post
Then all of a sudden the blue and yellow floater went under and little Hepzebiah caught a sunfish, too.
Seven O'Clock Stories|Robert Gordon Anderson
I been along the waterfront long enough t' know that th' lad that picks up a floater gets a reward o' ten dollars from th' city.
Captain Scraggs|Peter B. Kyne

I see Page did remember,—or perhaps she is a born floater, just as she is a bubble maker.
Vacation with the Tucker Twins|Nell Speed
This Harriet made by a puzzling “floater,” a slow ball that fell in the opposite court far out of reach.
The Meadow-Brook Girls on the Tennis Courts|Janet Aldridge
It is as a floater that he excels in water sports; he rides the waves more lightly and gracefully than any other creature.
Days Off|Henry Van Dyke

British Dictionary definitions for floater

floater

/ (ˈfləʊtə) /

noun

a person or thing that floats

any of a number of dark spots that appear in one's vision as a result of dead cells or fragments in the lens or vitreous humour of the eye

US and Canadian

a person of no fixed political opinion
a person who votes illegally in more than one district at one election
a voter who can be bribed

Also called: floating policy US and Canadian insurance a policy covering loss or theft of or damage to movable property, such as jewels or furs, regardless of its location

US informal a person who often changes employment, residence, etc; drifter

Australian a loose gold- or opal-bearing rock

Australian (esp in Adelaide) a meat pie in a plate of pea soup

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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floater

noun

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Origin of floater

Words nearby floater

Example sentences from the Web for floater

British Dictionary definitions for floater

noun

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

floater

noun

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

Origin of floater

Words nearby floater

Words related to floater

Example sentences from the Web for floater

British Dictionary definitions for floater

noun