float

/floʊt/

/fləʊt/

Other forms: floating; floated; floats

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.

Definitions of float

1. verb

   be afloat either on or below a liquid surface and not sink to the bottom
   synonyms: swim

   antonyms:

   sink

   go under (water)

   sink

   cause to sink

   types:

   buoy

   float on the surface of water

   type of:

   go, locomote, move, travel

   change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
2. verb

   be in motion due to some air or water current
   synonyms: be adrift, blow, drift

   drift

   cause to be carried by a current

   types:

   waft

   be driven or carried along, as by the air

   tide

   be carried with the tide

   stream

   to extend, wave or float outward, as if in the wind

   type of:

   go, locomote, move, travel

   change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
3. verb

   move lightly, as if suspended
   “The dancer floated across the stage”

   synonyms:

   be adrift, blow, drift

   be in motion due to some air or water current

   swim

   be afloat either on or below a liquid surface and not sink to the bottom

   types:

   ride

   be sustained or supported or borne

   type of:

   go, locomote, move, travel

   change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
4. verb

   set afloat
   “He floated the logs down the river”

   “The boy floated his toy boat on the pond”

   synonyms:

   swim

   be afloat either on or below a liquid surface and not sink to the bottom

   types:

   tide

   cause to float with the tide

   drift

   cause to be carried by a current

   refloat

   set afloat again

   type of:

   transport

   move something or somebody around; usually over long distances
5. verb

   put into the water
   “float a ship”

   type of:

   launch

   propel with force
6. noun

   something that floats on the surface of water
   types:

   bob, bobber, bobfloat, cork

   a small float usually made of cork; attached to a fishing line

   chip

   a triangular wooden float attached to the end of a log line

   flotation device, life preserver, preserver

   rescue equipment consisting of a buoyant belt or jacket to keep a person from drowning

   pontoon

   a float supporting a seaplane

   raft

   a flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be used for transport or as a platform for swimmers

   Kon Tiki, balsa raft

   a light raft made of balsa

   life belt, life buoy, life ring, lifesaver

   a life preserver in the form of a ring of buoyant material

   cork jacket, life jacket, life vest

   life preserver consisting of a sleeveless jacket of buoyant or inflatable design

   Carling float, life raft

   a raft to use if a ship must be abandoned in an emergency

   water wings

   a life preserver consisting of a connected pair of inflatable bags that fit under a person's arms and provide buoyancy; used by children learning to swim

   type of:

   artefact, artifact

   a man-made object taken as a whole
7. noun

   an air-filled sac near the spinal column in many fishes that helps maintain buoyancy
   synonyms: air bladder, swim bladder

   type of:

   sac

   a structure resembling a bag in an animal
8. noun

   a hand tool with a flat face used for smoothing and finishing the surface of plaster or cement or stucco
   synonyms: plasterer's float

   type of:

   hand tool

   a tool used with workers' hands
9. verb

   make the surface of level or smooth
   “float the plaster”

   type of:

   smooth, smoothen

   make smooth or smoother, as if by rubbing
10. verb

    allow (currencies) to fluctuate
    “The government floated the ruble for a few months”

    type of:

    value

    fix or determine the value of; assign a value to
11. verb

    circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with
    “The Republicans are floating the idea of a tax reform”

    type of:

    essay, examine, prove, test, try, try out

    put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to
12. verb

    convert from a fixed point notation to a floating point notation
    “float data”

    type of:

    change over, convert

    change from one system to another or to a new plan or policy
13. noun

    an elaborate display mounted on a platform carried by a truck (or pulled by a truck) in a procession or parade
    type of:

    display, presentation

    a visual representation of something
14. noun

    the number of shares outstanding and available for trading by the public
    type of:

    stock

    the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest (equity)
15. noun

    a drink with ice cream floating in it
    synonyms: ice-cream float, ice-cream soda

    types:

    root beer float

    an ice-cream soda made with ice cream floating in root beer

    type of:

    drink

    a single serving of a beverage
16. noun

    the time interval between the deposit of a check in a bank and its payment
    type of:

    interval, time interval

    a definite length of time marked off by two instants