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

It is also one of the few substances that is less dense as a solid than as a liquid, much like ice floating on water.

From Science Daily • Jul. 9, 2026

Chung positioned VLCCs behind the Strait of Hormuz before the conflict and chartered them out to act as floating storage early in the war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

Miranda-Martin removed the headboard from his bed, making it seem like it’s floating between the night tables he designed.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026

He'll offer his support with a gig aboard the floating arts centre Theatreship in London's Canary Wharf - one of more than 50 concerts taking place inside the M25 for Everywhere At Once.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

Some dived below, while others swam toward floating jerricans that served as buoys on a fishing net.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

• soaring