FLOATING Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

floating 1 of 2

adjective

ˈflō-tiŋ

Definition of floating

as in afloat

riding upon the surface of a body of liquid the wreckage remained floating for hours

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

floating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of float

as in hovering

to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a canoe floating down the river particles of dust floating in the air

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wandering

to move about from place to place aimlessly lost touch with a childhood friend who spent much of his adult life floating from place to place

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of floating

Adjective

Social media posts and years of reviewing cookie-cutter luxury hotels had conditioned me to equate floating breakfasts, monogrammed accessories, butler service, and aromatherapy menus as markers of a dreamy luxury vacation. — Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 22 Oct. 2024 The boat, a single motorboat, was found floating and half-submerged near the Harbor One Marina. — Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2024

Verb

Pop into cute shops like Lake Superior Trading Post and Drury Lane Books, grab a maple latte from Java Moose, take a morning hike at Artist’s Point, and unwind with a session in the country’s first floating sauna at Sisu and Löyly. — Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 26 Aug. 2026 Located around 30 minutes from downtown KC, Lake Olathe has a beach with amenities like a floating obstacle course and a marina. — Rashad Alexander august 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for floating

Recent Examples of Synonyms for floating

Adjective

Though now, the campus is shifting more digital to stay financially afloat and keep up with a changing educational landscape.

— Lacey Beasley, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
At one point, Georgia O’Keeffe had to convince her own dealer, Edith Herbert, to buy some of Kusama’s work to keep her afloat.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of afloat

Verb

Parton didn’t stop with Dollywood By the early 1990s, Parton created The Dollywood Foundation with the goal of decreasing the high school drop out rate in Sevier County, which was hovering around 30%.

— Kimberlee Kruesi, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
By dawn, the crew had slotted the house into place on its new site, hovering on timber cribbing.

— Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of hovering

Verb

The announcement comes after video circulated online of Knight at recent performances, including a July 25 gig at the Hollywood Bowl, wandering around the stage, turning her back to the audience, and not singing on cue.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
But more recently, cell phone videos taken by audience members at Knight performances, including one from a July 25 Hollywood Bowl concert, show the singer wandering the stage, her back to the audience and seeming to miss singing cues.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of wandering

Verb

The tanker was sailing in the southern shipping lane close to the Omani coast, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said in a post on Tuesday, Asia time.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Yet the language, always extraordinarily resilient, is again sailing toward new horizons in the 21st century.

— Ilan Stavans, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of sailing

Verb

Images of Anderson roaming around the concert venue with a large 35mm camera were shared widely on social media sites at the time.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Texas has the largest feral hog population in the United States, with millions of the invasive animals roaming the state.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of roaming

Verb

Recently, a local fisherman captured a video of dolphins swimming in the Long Island Sound off the coast of Westbrook that was shared all over social media.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026
Whether burrowing through soil or swimming through water, they’re forced to maneuver through narrow gaps in tiny pores, rocks, roots, plants or other obstacles.

— K. R. Prathyusha, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of swimming

Verb

The generation with the most to lose The clearest evidence that confidence and competence are drifting apart shows up in the generational data.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
Dark, light-absorbing particles turn into light-scattering particles, transforming dark, dense plumes into the milky white haze seen drifting across the eastern skies.

— Michael A. Robinson, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of drifting

Verb

That’s how dramatically the economics of superyacht construction has changed since Whisper first began cruising in 2014.

— Dea Jusufi, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The Fort Worth Eastern Hills Highlanders opened the season in commanding fashion Friday night, cruising to a 62-0 victory over the Polytechnic Parrots at Clark Stadium.

— Raul Avila, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruising

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floated

floating

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“Floating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floating. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of floating

adjective

verb

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