Showing results for "floating"

• present participle of float.

floating

American  

[floh-ting] / ˈfloʊ tɪŋ /

adjective

1. being buoyed up on water or other liquid.

2. having little or no attachment to a particular place; moving from one place to another.

   a floating workforce.

3. Pathology. away from its proper position, especially in a downward direction.

   a floating kidney.

4. not fixed or settled in a definite place or state.

   a floating population.

5. Finance.

   1. in circulation or use, or not permanently invested, as capital.

   2. composed of sums due within a short time.

      a floating debt.

6. Machinery.

   1. having a soft suspension greatly reducing vibrations between the suspended part and its support.

   2. working smoothly.

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floating British  

/ ˈfləʊtɪŋ /

adjective

1. having little or no attachment

2. (of an organ or part) displaced from the normal position or abnormally movable

   a floating kidney

3. not definitely attached to one place or policy; uncommitted or unfixed

   the floating vote

4. finance

   1. (of capital) not allocated or invested; available for current use

   2. (of debt) short-term and unfunded, usually raised by a government or company to meet current expenses

   3. (of a currency) free to fluctuate against other currencies in accordance with market forces

5. machinery operating smoothly through being free from external constraints

6. (of an electronic circuit or device) not connected to a source of voltage

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Other Word Forms

• nonfloating
  adjective
• unfloating
  adjective
• floatingly
  adverb
• nonfloatingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of floating

First recorded in 1555–65; float + -ing ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

floating

Average U.S. gas prices are floating around $4, according to AAA, while the artificial-intelligence boom has pushed up costs for energy and less-essential goods like electronics.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

There’s a floating population of eagles all over North America, “and many of those birds, when they reach four years of age, are now in the business of prospecting,” Bloom said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

In addition to a metal fence and a floating barrier installed earlier this week, Morocco had dispatched army officers, navy speedboats and drones to the border on Saturday.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Those killed included a man in his 60s or 70s found floating in a flooded road and a 66-year-old woman stuck in her submerged car, the Chiba Prefecture Disaster Management Office said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Because he’d activated his invisibility brooch, it appeared as if a rabbit balloon animal was floating on its own.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Related Words

• soaring