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

Tinubu, who is seeking a second term, pushed through sweeping economic reforms when he came into office in 2023, including scrapping a major fuel subsidy and floating the naira.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

The objects include unexploded ordnance, drones and other unmanned vehicles found washed ashore or floating at sea, it said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Orders for three floating dry docks, worth £6bn, to maintain the Royal Navy's nuclear-powered submarine fleet at Faslane will go to a UK-based shipbuilder, the chancellor has confirmed.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Currently, the 10-year Treasury yield is floating at 5.2% and sitting just below an area of technical resistance at 5.25% that dates back to July 2007, which could be a delicate line in the sand.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 2026

There’s a hologram floating above the desk, of three stacked circles, like a layered cake.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• soaring