afloat

adjective or adverb

ə-ˈflōt How to pronounce afloat (audio)
Synonyms of afloatnext
1
a
: borne on or as if on the water
b
: being at sea
2
: free of difficulties : self-sufficient
the inheritance kept them afloat for years
3
a
: circulating about
Silly rumors were afloat.
b
: adrift

Synonyms of afloat

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of afloat in a Sentence

the boat can't stay afloat much longer
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Nelson Chai, DailyPay CEO, will join CNBC's Sharon Epperson to discuss the challenges employees face staying financially afloat amid the rising costs of groceries, gas and everyday personal expenses. — Ian Thomas,colleen McKown, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026 Others clung onto one another, buoys and pieces of wreckage, shivering and treading water to stay afloat. — Jaimie Ding, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026 Its advocacy work remained limited, largely because its board members were all working to keep their own arts organizations, including several of the state’s eight Direct Regional Service Organizations, or DRSOs, financially afloat. — Lucy Gellman, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026 Unlike previous Ship splashdowns, though, which have exploded after tipping over into the water, Ship 40 remained largely intact and afloat. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for afloat

Word History

Etymology

Middle English aflote, going back to Old English aflote, on flote, from a- a- entry 1, on on entry 1 + flote, dative of flot "deep water, sea" — more at float entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of afloat was before the 12th century

Rhymes for afloat

See All Rhymes for afloat

Browse Nearby Words

aflicker
afloat
aflow
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Afloat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afloat. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

afloat

adjective or adverb
ə-ˈflōt How to pronounce afloat (audio)
1
a
: carried on or as if on the water
b
: being at sea
2
: circulating about : rumored
there was a story afloat
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All