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

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

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Created by the L.A.-based multimedia collective Everything Is Terrible, WoWoW is alternately described as a “cosmic entity” and a “cartoony, root vegetable floating alien god.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

Over the course of the austral summer, the floating ice tongue steadily broke apart through repeated calving events, leading to a retreat of roughly 16 kilometers.

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

“Some oil is floating on tankers, some is delayed, some is stranded and some production is temporarily shut in,” Innes said.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

“A brightly colored balloon floating across a clear blue sky? What secrecy can there be in that?”

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• soaring