float

[ floht ]

/ floʊt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR float ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to rest or remain on the surface of a liquid; be buoyant: The hollow ball floated.

to move gently on the surface of a liquid; drift along: The canoe floated downstream.

to rest or move in a liquid, the air, etc.: a balloon floating on high.

to move lightly and gracefully: She floated down the stairs.

to move or hover before the eyes or in the mind: Romantic visions floated before his eyes.

to pass from one person to another: A nasty rumor about his firm is floating around town.

to be free from attachment or involvement.

to move or drift about: to float from place to place.

to vacillate (often followed by between).

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

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

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

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

verb (used with object)

to cause to float.

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

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

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

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

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

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

something that floats, as a raft.

something for buoying up.

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

(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.

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

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

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.

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

a vehicle bearing a display, usually an elaborate tableau, in a parade or procession: Each class prepared a float for the football pageant.

a glass of fruit juice or soft drink with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it: a root-beer float.

(especially in the northeastern U.S.) a milk shake with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it.

paddle¹(def 6).

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

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.

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

Building Trades.

a flat tool for spreading and smoothing plaster or stucco.
a tool for polishing marble.

a single-cut file of moderate smoothness.

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

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

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

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

a low-bodied dray for transporting heavy goods.

Geology, Mining.

loose fragments of rock, ore, etc., that have been moved from one place to another by the action of wind, water, etc.
ore that has been washed downhill from an orebody and is found lying on the surface of the ground.
any mineral in suspension in water.

Usually floats. British Theater. footlight(def 1).

Origin of float

before 1000; Middle English floten, Old English flotian; cognate with Old Norse flota, Middle Dutch vloten; akin to Old English flēotan to fleet²

SYNONYMS FOR float

3 hover, waft, drift, suspend.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR float ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM float

out·float, verb (used with object) re·float, verb

Words nearby float

fliting, flitter, flittermouse, flivver, flo, float, float bowl, float bridge, float chamber, float glass, float off

Example sentences from the Web for float

In the meantime, Epstein has tried to use his charitable projects to float him back to the top.

Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking |M.L. Nestel |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
You can go as deep as you like, or float about on the surface.

D’Angelo’s ‘Black Messiah’ Was Worth Waiting 15 Years For |James Joiner |December 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He allows the subject to float over to Hitchcock with a calm directness that I admire.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days |David Freeman |December 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
They haven't been dead long enough to float, but that will come in time.

Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq |Nathan Bradley Bethea |August 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

But miraculously they must float in the heavens so far away from us, their beautiful light will continue to shine on us forever.

Billy Crystal's Tribute to Robin Williams at the Emmys Was Perfect |Kevin Fallon |August 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It occurred to him presently that he could steer as well as propel his float with his feet.

The Border Watch |Joseph A. Altsheler
Of course they had no boat, and the only way they could get back to the ship was to float on one piece of ice to another.

Grenfell: Knight-Errant of the North |Fullerton Waldo
If the float is too high on its stem, the gasoline control valve may not be operated until the fuel overflows in its chamber.

The Gasoline Motor |Harold Whiting Slauson
It was a breathless afternoon; beyond the city the blue hills seemed to float and quiver in mid-air.

Pharos, The Egyptian |Guy Newell Boothby
About his head there began to float a pale, luminescent sphere.

Sense from Thought Divide |Mark Irvin Clifton

British Dictionary definitions for float

float

/ (fləʊt) /

verb

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

to move or cause to move buoyantly, lightly, or freely across a surface or through air, water, etc; drift fog floated across the road

to move about aimlessly, esp in the mind thoughts floated before him

to suspend or be suspended without falling; hang lights floated above them

(tr)

to launch or establish (a commercial enterprise, etc)
to offer for sale (stock or bond issues, etc) on the stock market

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

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

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

noun

something that floats

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

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

mainly US 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

Also called: paddle a blade of a paddle wheel

British a buoyant garment or device to aid a person in staying afloat

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

another name for air bladder (def. 2)

an exhibit carried in a parade, esp a religious parade

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

a small delivery vehicle, esp one powered by batteries a milk float

Australian and NZ a vehicle for transporting horses

banking, mainly US the total value of uncollected cheques and other commercial papers

mainly US and Canadian a sum to be applied to minor expenses; petty cash

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

the hollow floating ball of a ballcock

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

mainly US and Canadian a carbonated soft drink with a scoop of ice cream in it

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

forestry a measure of timber equal to eighteen loads

Derived forms of float

floatable, adjective floatability, noun

Word Origin for float

Old English flotian; related to Old Norse flota , Old Saxon flotōn; see fleet ²

Scientific definitions for float

float

[ flōt ]

An air-filled sac in certain aquatic organisms, such as kelp, that helps maintain buoyancy. Also called air bladder air vesicle

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

float

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of float

SYNONYMS FOR float

OTHER WORDS FROM float

Words nearby float

Example sentences from the Web for float

British Dictionary definitions for float

verb

noun

Derived forms of float

Word Origin for float

Scientific definitions for float

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

float

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of float

SYNONYMS FOR float

OTHER WORDS FROM float

Words nearby float

Words related to float

Example sentences from the Web for float

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for float

verb

noun

Derived forms of float

Word Origin for float

Scientific definitions for float

British Dictionary definitions for float