float
float
Pronunciation
float: /floʊt/
flo- /floʊ/
-at /t/ (This 't' sound is the end of the first syllable and also acts as the end of the word. In English, often a single consonant sound can bridge the end of one syllable and the beginning of another, or stand alone if it's the final sound.)
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: float
Plural Noun: floats
Base Verb: float
Third Person Singular Present Verb: floats
Present Participle/Gerund: floating
Past Simple Verb: floated
Past Participle Verb: floated
Adjective (present participle): floating (e.g., a floating device)
Adjective (past participle): floated (less common as a direct adjective, more often in passive constructions like "the boat was floated")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A light, buoyant object designed to stay on the surface of a liquid, often used to support something else or as a marker.
Synonyms: buoy, raft, cork, bobber
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this specific object, as its purpose is buoyancy)
Definition 2: A vehicle or display, often elaborately decorated, that is pulled in a parade.
Synonyms: parade car, tableau, display
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms)
Definition 3 (Financial): The amount of money that is in the process of being transferred between accounts or entities, and is therefore temporarily available to neither party, or available to one but not yet cleared by the other.
Synonyms: outstanding funds, uncashed funds, uncleared funds
Antonyms: settled funds, cleared funds
Verb
Definition 1: To rest or move lightly on the surface of a liquid or in the air without sinking.
Synonyms: drift, glide, hover, suspend
Antonyms: sink, submerge, drown, plunge
Definition 2: To put forward a plan, idea, or proposal for consideration, often tentatively or experimentally.
Synonyms: propose, suggest, offer, present, launch
Antonyms: withdraw, retract, suppress, withhold
Definition 3 (Financial): To issue or offer shares, bonds, or other securities for sale to the public.
Synonyms: issue, launch, offer, list
Antonyms: delist, withdraw, recall
Definition 4: To move or progress without effort or difficulty, often in a graceful or carefree manner.
Synonyms: glide, coast, sail, drift
Antonyms: struggle, trudge, plummet
Adjective (from participial forms)
Definition 1 (floating): Remaining on the surface of a liquid or suspended in the air.
Synonyms: buoyant, drifting, suspended, airborne
Antonyms: sinking, submerged, grounded, settled
Definition 2 (floating): Not fixed in position; subject to change or variation.
Synonyms: unanchored, unattached, movable, variable, fluctuating
Antonyms: fixed, permanent, stable, stationary
Examples of Use
Books:
"The boat, a small dinghy, began to float away from the shore as the tide came in." (From a fictional novel, exact title unavailable, but common in adventure or maritime literature.)
"She felt a sense of calm, as if she could simply float above all her troubles." (From a self-help or mindfulness book, common metaphor.)
Newspapers:
"The city council approved a plan to float a bond issue to fund the new public library." (Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, March 2024)
"Giant balloons will float through the streets of Manhattan during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade." (The New York Times, November 2023)
Online Publications:
"How to make your website content float to the top of search engine results." (SEMrush blog post, February 2025)
"Scientists are tracking an enormous float of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean." (National Geographic online, December 2024)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: (Character in a science fiction movie, describing zero gravity) "I love the feeling of just being able to float here." (Exact film reference unavailable, but a common line in space-themed movies.)
Music: "We all just float on, alright." (From the song "Float On" by Modest Mouse, 2004)
Video Game (e.g., Minecraft): "You can build a huge float that will carry you across the ocean." (Common usage in gaming forums and tutorials discussing in-game mechanics.)
Television (cooking show): "Add the eggs, and watch them float when they're perfectly poached." (Common instruction on cooking shows like MasterChef or Great British Baking Show.)
General Public Discourse:
"Let's just float that idea by the team and see what they think." (Heard in a business meeting, common informal phrase for suggesting an idea.)
"I saw a huge parade float shaped like a dragon at the festival last weekend." (Casual conversation about a community event.)
"Can you help me get this pool float inflated?" (Common request at a swimming pool or beach.)
10 Quotes Using Float
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." (Muhammad Ali)
"To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float." (Alan Watts)
"The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one-seventh of its bulk above water." (Sigmund Freud)
"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." (Rabindranath Tagore)
"Remember, a dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream." (W. C. Fields)
"Life is a tide; float on it." (Prem Rawat)
"In civilized life, law floats in a sea of ethics." (Earl Warren)
"I never wish to be easily defined. I'd rather float over other people's minds as something strictly fluid and non-perceivable; more like a transparent, paradoxically iridescent creature rather than an actual person." (Franz Kafka)
"The truth may be stretched thin, but it never breaks, and it always surfaces above lies, as oil floats on water." (Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra)
"All things want to float." (Rainer Maria Rilke)
Etymology
The word "float" has a long history, tracing its roots back to ancient languages. It comes from the Old English word "flotian," which meant "to rest on the surface of water." This Old English word, in turn, developed from an even older Germanic word, and ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root that had a meaning related to "to flow, swim, or fly."
So, the very first known use and meaning of "float" was directly tied to the idea of something staying on top of water without sinking. Over time, the word expanded to include other related ideas, like moving gently through the air, or even presenting an idea for consideration, as if "floating" it out for others to see. The noun form, referring to an object that floats (like a fishing float or a parade float), also emerged from these original meanings related to things that stay on the surface.
Phrases + Idioms
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee: To move with grace and agility but strike powerfully.
Float an idea: To propose a suggestion or plan, often tentatively, to gauge reaction.
Float on air: To feel extremely happy or euphoric.
Float one's boat: To be something that pleases or excites someone (usually in the negative: "That doesn't float my boat").
Whatever floats your boat: Do whatever makes you happy or suits you.
To float a company/stock: To offer shares of a company for sale to the public for the first time.
Float a loan: To arrange for a loan.
A cash float: A small amount of money kept on hand for making change or small expenses.
To be in a state of float: To be in an undefined or unresolved situation.
To float through life: To live without much effort or concern.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of float from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
