How to Use afloat in a Sentence

afloat

adjective or adverb
  • His team is struggling to stay afloat.
    — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
  • The bird was struggling to stay afloat.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • But what if the Penguins stay afloat?
    — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Still, the airline warned, these steps may not be enough to keep it afloat.
    — Zach Wichter, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
  • These are the records that best balanced my humors and kept me afloat.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
  • Leo, Kate, and Zane who keep the drama afloat.
    — John Ortved, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2025
  • But the crisis is real and someone needs to keep this ship afloat.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Myron reached the man and kept him afloat until help arrived, the wife said.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
  • Her adaptability did not just keep her afloat.
    — Jason Ballard, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • But one Boise eatery has taken its struggle to stay afloat public.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026
  • The process begins when the structure is afloat just below sea level.
    — Carl Nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Mar. 2026
  • The move comes after the company failed to secure funds to stay afloat.
    — Jonathan Limehouse, The Enquirer, 8 Aug. 2025
  • The Cubs do, though, have a promising young rookie right-hander who has helped keep them afloat.
    — Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Deaths often occur when swimmers are pulled offshore and are unable to stay afloat.
    — Colson Thayer, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
  • This year, the hospital needs to find $200 million to stay afloat.
    — Dené K. Dryden, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2026
  • That gives the nonprofits time to secure other funding streams to stay afloat.
    — Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 4 Dec. 2025
  • This is a good quarterback room that should be able to keep the ship afloat if Prescott misses a small amount of time.
    — Jon MacHota, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Once flush with venture capital dollars, many were now struggling to stay afloat.
    — Amanda Lauren, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Princess Beatrice is still afloat amid her father’s title being stripped.
    — Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 Nov. 2025
  • At the same time, the hybrid vehicle market is staying afloat.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The Thunder need to win the 3-point battle and his big shooting nights have been what’s kept them afloat.
    — The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 29 May 2026
  • Burglarizing the homes of those in his social circle and pawning the items just to stay afloat.
    — Ryan Brennan april 1, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
  • More and more people are working second and third jobs to supplement their income and stay afloat.
    — Essence, 19 Dec. 2025
  • Many workers saw their hours decreased as employers tried to minimize costs and stay afloat.
    — Adam Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2025
  • In response, some restaurateurs are getting creative to stay afloat.
    — Patricia Kaowthumrong, Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2025
  • Despite city investments, the grocery store struggled to stay afloat.
    — Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025
  • The 49ers’ defense kept them afloat for much of the contest, but the offense couldn’t find paydirt.
    — Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The money Kapoi made from selling her Concord townhouse helps keep her afloat.
    — Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Both of them worked constantly, often pushing into overtime just to stay afloat.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
  • This also means shelters such as Silva Rentería’s have struggled to stay afloat.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'afloat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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