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   Float

   /flōt/

   

   verb

   • 1. rest or move on or near the surface of a liquid without sinking: "she relaxed, floating gently in the water" Similar stay afloatstay on the surfacebe buoyantbe buoyed upOpposite sink
   • ▪ cause (a buoyant object) to rest or move on the surface of a liquid without sinking: "trees were felled and floated downstream"
   • ▪ be suspended freely in a liquid or gas: "fragments of chipped cartilage floated in the joint"
   • 2. move or hover slowly and lightly in a liquid or the air; drift: "clouds floated across a brilliant blue sky" Similar hoverlevitatebe suspendedhangdefy gravitydriftglidesailslipslidewaftflowstreammovetravelbe carriedOpposite rush
   • ▪ (of a rumor, idea, etc.) circulate: "the notion was floating around Capitol Hill"
   • ▪ (in sports) make (the ball) travel lightly and effortlessly through the air: "he floated the kick into the net"
   • ▪ (of a sight or idea) come before the eyes or mind: "the advice his father had given him floated into his mind"
   • 3. put forward (an idea) as a suggestion or test of reactions. Similar suggestput forwardcome up withsubmitraisemootproposeadvanceofferprofferpositpresenttabletest the popularity oftableinformal:run something up the flagpole (to see who salutes)Opposite withdraw
   • ▪ offer the shares of (a company) for sale on the stock market for the first time. Similar launchget goingget off the groundoffersellintroduceestablishset upinstitutepromoteOpposite wind upbuy back
   • 4. (of a currency) fluctuate freely in value in accordance with supply and demand in the financial markets: "a policy of letting the pound float"
   • ▪ allow (a currency) to fluctuate in value.

   noun

   • 1. a thing that is buoyant in water.
   • ▪ a small object attached to a fishing line to indicate by moving when a fish bites.
   • ▪ a cork or buoy supporting the edge of a fishing net.
   • ▪ a hollow or inflated organ enabling an organism (such as the Portuguese man-of-war) to float in the water.
   • ▪ a hollow structure fixed underneath an aircraft enabling it to take off and land on water.
   • ▪ a device floating on the surface of a liquid that forms part of a valve apparatus controlling flow in and out of the enclosing container, e.g., in a toilet tank or a carburetor.
   • ▪ a platform mounted on a truck and carrying a display in a parade: "a carnival float"
   • 2. a hand tool with a rectangular blade used for smoothing plaster or concrete.
   • 3. a soft drink with a scoop of ice cream floating in it: North American "root-beer floats"
   • 4. (in critical path analysis) the period of time by which the duration of an activity may be extended without affecting the overall time for the process.

   Word Origin Old Englishflotian (verb), of Germanic origin and related to fleet4, reinforced in Middle English by Old French floter, also from Germanic.

   Scrabble Points: 8

   • F

     4

   • L

     1

   • O

     1

   • A

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   • T

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