float

American  

[floht] / floʊt /

verb (used without object)

• floats,
  present (3rd person singular)
• floated,
  past participle,  past
• floating
  present participle

1. to rest or remain on the surface of a liquid; be buoyant.

   The hollow ball floated.

2. to move gently on the surface of a liquid; drift along.

   The canoe floated downstream.

3. to rest or move in a liquid, the air, etc..

   a balloon floating on high.

   Synonyms:

   suspend, drift, waft, hover

4. to move lightly and gracefully.

   She floated down the stairs.

5. to move or hover before the eyes or in the mind.

   Romantic visions floated before his eyes.

6. to pass from one person to another.

   A nasty rumor about his firm is floating around town.

7. to be free from attachment or involvement.

8. to move or drift about.

   to float from place to place.

9. to vacillate (often followed bybetween ).

10. to be launched, as a company, scheme, etc.

11. (of a currency) to be allowed to fluctuate freely in the foreign-exchange market instead of being exchanged at a fixed rate.

12. (of an interest rate) to change periodically according to money-market conditions.

13. Commerce. to be in circulation, as an acceptance; be awaiting maturity.

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verb (used with object)

• floats,
  present (3rd person singular)
• floated,
  past participle,  past
• floating
  present participle

1. to cause to float.

2. to cover with water or other liquid; flood; irrigate.

3. to launch (a company, scheme, etc.); set going.

4. to issue on the stock market in order to raise money, as stocks or bonds.

5. to let (a currency or interest rate) fluctuate in the foreign-exchange or money market.

6. to make smooth with a float, as the surface of plaster.

7. Theater. to lay down (a flat), usually by bracing the bottom edge of the frame with the foot and allowing the rest to fall slowly to the floor.

noun

• floats
  plural

1. something that floats, as a raft.

2. something for buoying up.

3. an inflated bag to sustain a person in water; life preserver.

4. (in certain types of tanks, cisterns, etc.) a device, as a hollow ball, that through its buoyancy automatically regulates the level, supply, or outlet of a liquid.

5. Nautical. a floating platform attached to a wharf, bank, or the like, and used as a landing.

6. Aeronautics. a hollow, boatlike structure under the wing or fuselage of a seaplane or flying boat, keeping it afloat in water.

7. Angling. a piece of cork or other material for supporting a baited line in the water and indicating by its movements when a fish bites.

8. Zoology. an inflated organ that supports an animal in the water.

9. a vehicle bearing a display, usually an elaborate tableau, in a parade or procession.

   Each class prepared a float for the football pageant.

10. a glass of fruit juice or soft drink with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it.

    a root-beer float.

11. (especially in the northeastern United States) a milkshake with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it.

12. paddle.

13. Banking. uncollected checks and commercial paper in process of transfer from bank to bank.

14. the total amount of any cost-of-living or other variable adjustments added to an employee's pay or a retiree's benefits.

    a float of $6 per month on top of Social Security benefits.

15. an act or instance of floating, as a currency on the foreign-exchange market.

16. Building Trades.

    1. a flat tool for spreading and smoothing plaster or stucco.

    2. a tool for polishing marble.

17. a single-cut file of moderate smoothness.

18. a loose-fitting, sometimes very full dress without a waistline.

19. (in weaving and knitting) a length of yarn that extends over several rows or stitches without being interworked.

20. British. a sum of money used by a storekeeper to provide change for the till at the start of a day's business.

21. British. a small vehicle, usually battery powered, used to make deliveries, as of milk.

22. a low-bodied dray for transporting heavy goods.

23. Geology, Mining.

    1. loose fragments of rock, ore, etc., that have been moved from one place to another by the action of wind, water, etc.

    2. ore that has been washed downhill from an orebody and is found lying on the surface of the ground.

    3. any mineral in suspension in water.

24. British Theater. Usually floats. footlight.

float British  

/ fləʊt /

verb

1. to rest or cause to rest on the surface of a fluid or in a fluid or space without sinking; be buoyant or cause to exhibit buoyancy

   oil floats on water

   to float a ship

2. to move or cause to move buoyantly, lightly, or freely across a surface or through air, water, etc; drift

   fog floated across the road

3. to move about aimlessly, esp in the mind

   thoughts floated before him

4. to suspend or be suspended without falling; hang

   lights floated above them

5. (tr)

   1. to launch or establish (a commercial enterprise, etc)

   2. to offer for sale (stock or bond issues, etc) on the stock market

6. (tr) finance to allow (a currency) to fluctuate against other currencies in accordance with market forces

7. (tr) to flood, inundate, or irrigate (land), either artificially or naturally

8. (tr) to spread, smooth, or level (a surface of plaster, rendering, etc)

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noun

1. something that floats

2. angling an indicator attached to a baited line that sits on the water and moves when a fish bites

3. a small hand tool with a rectangular blade used for floating plaster, etc

4. any buoyant object, such as a platform or inflated tube, used offshore by swimmers or, when moored alongside a pier, as a dock by vessels

5. Also called: paddle.  a blade of a paddle wheel

6. a buoyant garment or device to aid a person in staying afloat

7. a hollow watertight structure fitted to the underside of an aircraft to allow it to land on water

8. another name for air bladder

9. an exhibit carried in a parade, esp a religious parade

10. a motor vehicle used to carry a tableau or exhibit in a parade, esp a civic parade

11. a small delivery vehicle, esp one powered by batteries

    a milk float

12. a vehicle for transporting horses

13. banking the total value of uncollected cheques and other commercial papers

14. a sum to be applied to minor expenses; petty cash

15. a sum of money used by shopkeepers to provide change at the start of the day's business, this sum being subtracted from the total at the end of the day when calculating the day's takings

16. the hollow floating ball of a ballcock

17. engineering a hollow cylindrical structure in a carburettor that actuates the fuel valve

18. a carbonated soft drink with a scoop of ice cream in it

19. (in textiles) a single thread brought to or above the surface of a woven fabric, esp to form a pattern

20. forestry a measure of timber equal to eighteen loads

float Scientific  

/ flōt /

1. An air-filled sac in certain aquatic organisms, such as kelp, that helps maintain buoyancy.

2. Also called air bladder air vesicle

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• floatability
  noun
• refloat
  verb
• outfloat
  verb (used with object)
• floatable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• floats
  plural

Participles

• floating
  present
• floated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• float
  simple
• floats
  simple
• have floated
  perfect
• has floated
  perfect
• am floating
  progressive
• are floating
  progressive
• is floating
  progressive
• have been floating
  perfect progressive
• has been floating
  perfect progressive

Past

• floated
  simple
• had floated
  perfect
• was floating
  progressive
• were floating
  progressive
• had been floating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will float
  simple
• will have floated
  perfect
• will be floating
  progressive
• will have been floating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of float

First recorded before 1000; Middle English floten, Old English flotian; cognate with Old Norse flota, Middle Dutch vloten; akin to Old English flēotan “to move swiftly” ( see fleet ²)

Explanation

Float is what you do when you're lying on the water. Hopefully you know how to swim, so you can float suspended on the surface of the water, rather than sinking straight to the bottom. We typically think of the verb float as something you do on the surface of an ocean or pool, but it's possible to float in mid-air too. You just need to be attached to a parachute so you don't come crashing down to the ground. You can also "float on air" in a more figurative sense. For example, if the person you're in love with suddenly gives you flowers, you could float around for hours feeling like your feet aren't touching the ground.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

float floats floated floating

It is a measure of how much water is needed for a ship to float safely without running aground.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

A funky one hangs in the corner, some simpler ones float above the dark-green tufted couch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

Demand from retail investors significantly outstripped supply, with over 8,000 times more orders than shares available, it said ahead of its float.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

He came across the bus that would become his boat in a scrapyard and first got to work on making it float as part of the Belfast 2024 festival of creative arts.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

He closed his eyes and did the dead man’s float, to rest.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

And as the USS Nimitz floats past its 2025 planned retirement, the fleet could shrink below the 11-carrier floor prescribed by Congress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

On stretches of waterfront, people linger in boats, kayaks and pool floats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

The process created carbon-rich dust resembling material that floats through interstellar space and is preserved inside comets, asteroids and meteorites.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

The question those floats are helping investigate is one of the most important - and most contested - in climate science: whether one of the world's great systems of ocean currents is beginning to change.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

That’s a boat with a flat bottom and big floats on each side.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

A few nervous hushes floated across the place.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Talk of changes to the regulation for banks or pension funds could be floated as a signal to control the long end of the curve, Kumar added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

The new U.S. tariff plan for Canada was first floated in late July, and the National Association of Home Builders offered a warning at that time.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

Shein first floated plans to go public in 2022, when it achieved its peak valuation of $100 billion in a private funding round.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

“There’s an old pier that sticks out into the river at that point. If Abby floated into the bay, she would be out of the current and would not go any farther downstream.”

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

On November 24, 2021, a French fishing vessel reported several lifeless bodies floating in the Channel off Calais, close to British waters.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

The underwater vehicle was coasting about six feet above the ocean floor, two miles deep, when a pinkish, mysterious creature swam into its camera’s sights, drawing gasps in the research vessel floating at the surface.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

Late last month, Stahl received nine emails overnight floating job leads.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026

Garbo and an international group of researchers have been relying on remote sensing to monitor Petermann Glacier and follow changes in its floating ice tongue.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

In between I dreamed that I was floating in the air, right up near the rafters of the room.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

• drift
• glide
• hang
• hover
• ride
• sail
• slide
• swim
• waft
• wash