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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of floating

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

Example Sentences

Bread pudding is essentially a blank canvas for whatever bits and bobs are floating around your kitchen waiting for purpose.

From Salon • May 25, 2026

Once towed to the lease areas up the coast, their electricity would flow back to land via floating underwater cables and, ultimately, tied into the state’s main grid.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

Slowly throttling wells and using idle ships as floating storage are further helping Iran stretch the clock.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

He failed to make any impact, floating around as a peripheral figure, dropping deep in search of the ball.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

On one mission, the astronaut had so much fun floating around outside of the space capsule that his commanders had to order him to go back inside his craft.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Related Words

• soaring