Synonyms of floating

floating 1 of 2

adjective

ˈflō-tiŋ 

as in afloat

riding upon the surface of a body of liquid

the wreckage remained floating for hours

Synonyms & Similar Words

• afloat
• sailing
• hovering
• drifting
• buoyant
• hanging
• floaty
• free-floating
• unsinkable
• gliding
• wafting
• poised
• awash

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sinking
• sunk
• high and dry
• aground

floating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of float

1

as in hovering

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hovering
• sailing
• swimming
• drifting
• gliding
• hanging
• riding
• bobbing
• wafting
• dangling
• poising
• suspending
• buoying
• rafting
• ballooning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sinking
• settling
• plunging
• diving
• lunging
• dipping
• submerging
• immersing
• submersing

2

as in wandering

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

• wandering
• roaming
• drifting
• cruising
• strolling
• ranging
• meandering
• roving
• knocking (about)
• gallivanting
• traipsing
• rambling
• batting
• galavanting
• gadding (about)
• sauntering
• mooching
• ambling
• maundering
• kicking around
• moping
• dawdling
• straggling
• straying
• tramping
• gypsying
• milling (about or around)
• hoboing
• vagabonding

Examples of floating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Expensive: Price tag is two to three times the cost of a non-floating structure. —J Harris, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2016

This tablet also comes with a full-sized floating keyboard that resembles Apple’s iPad Air and Pro Magic Keyboard. —Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2023

Outlet glaciers generally flow into an ice shelf, a floating expanse of ice reaching over the water. —Marissa Grunes, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023

In the heart of the boat, a central stairwell featuring a striking bronze sculpture of a kneeling man anchors the floating, stainless-steel staircase. —Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 6 Jan. 2023