FLOATED Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

floated

verb

past tense of float

as in hovered

to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a canoe floating down the river particles of dust floating in the air

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wandered

to move about from place to place aimlessly lost touch with a childhood friend who spent much of his adult life floating from place to place

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of floated The repairs only seem to have made things worse as the new paint started peeling in large chunks that floated to the top. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 June 2026 Onscreen, his hands floated slowly across a sheet of paper, an entranced expression on his face. — Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 Maybe that’s when my misconceptions about the Cape Cod Bay side of the Cape floated away. — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 23 June 2026 Muhammad floated a 155-pound matchup with Rafael Fiziev, fresh off his Baku knockout win. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Emerson’s single that floated just above the outstretched glove of Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel drove in the first two. — Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 The agency also floated the possibility of repurposing a Mars rover, nicknamed Promise, for use on the moon. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 30 June 2026 Another option, sources told Semafor, is for the US to take equity stakes in AI firms, an idea Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly floated. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2026 The idea was first floated by UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy last September at the Royal Television Society’s Cambridge Convention. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 22 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for floated

Verb

Off-pitch issues hovered over the tournament, but the football has delivered.

— Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 29 June 2026
The lowest get-in prices hovered around $3,500 early Saturday on Friday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 June 2026

Definition of hovered

Verb

The 1,200-pound giraffe, named Gracie, wandered away from her unfenced habitat at Cedar Hollow Ranch in Leakey, Texas, on June 12.

— Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
At the time, the ranch said the giraffe had likely slipped through an enclosure gate and wandered into surrounding private ranchland.

— Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Definition of wandered

Verb

Gwinnett was an English clergymen’s son who sailed for the colonies in 1762 and opened a general store in Savannah in 1765.

— Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 30 June 2026
Most of the crew members had sailed together for years, spending as much time on board as at home; several were related.

— Will Freeman, New Yorker, 30 June 2026

Definition of sailed

Verb

The age of sail, when pirates like Johnny Depp’s fictional Jack Sparrow roamed the seven seas, ended about 200 years ago.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Earlier this month, dozens of police officers, hunters and city officials were deployed in the city of Utsunomiya, north of Tokyo, to catch a bear that roamed the streets for four days, forcing mass school closures.

— CBS News, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Definition of roamed

Verb

Cubans strolled along el Paseo del Prado promenade in the inky night, desperate to escape the stifling heat of their homes.

— Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
More recently, Amal Clooney strolled through the South of France hand-in-hand with husband George in a black micro-mini with shorts peeking out underneath.

— Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 4 July 2026

Definition of strolled

Verb

In his first bout at 170 pounds, Makhachev cruised to a decision win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 in November 2025, easily wresting the UFC welterweight crown from Della Maddalena.

— Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Zebby Matthews cruised through the first four frames, allowing just one run.

— Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 4 July 2026

Definition of cruised

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float

floated

floating

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“Floated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floated. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of floated

verb

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