float

[floht] /floʊt/
verb (used without object)
1.
to rest or remain on the surface of a liquid; be buoyant:
The hollow ball floated.
2.
to move gently on the surface of a liquid; drift along:
The canoe floated downstream.
3.
to rest or move in a liquid, the air, etc.:
a balloon floating on high.
4.
to move lightly and gracefully:
She floated down the stairs.
5.
to move or hover before the eyes or in the mind:
Romantic visions floated before his eyes.
6.
to pass from one person to another:
A nasty rumor about his firm is floating around town.
7.
to be free from attachment or involvement.
8.
to move or drift about:
to float from place to place.
9.
to vacillate (often followed by between).
10.
to be launched, as a company, scheme, etc.
11.
(of a currency) to be allowed to fluctuate freely in the foreign-exchange market instead of being exchanged at a fixed rate.
12.
(of an interest rate) to change periodically according to money-market conditions.
13.
Commerce. to be in circulation, as an acceptance; be awaiting maturity.
verb (used with object)
14.
to cause to float.
15.
to cover with water or other liquid; flood; irrigate.
16.
to launch (a company, scheme, etc.); set going.
17.
to issue on the stock market in order to raise money, as stocks or bonds.
18.
to let (a currency or interest rate) fluctuate in the foreign-exchange or money market.
19.
to make smooth with a float, as the surface of plaster.
20.
Theater. to lay down (a flat), usually by bracing the bottom edge of the frame with the foot and allowing the rest to fall slowly to the floor.
noun
21.
something that floats, as a raft.
22.
something for buoying up.
23.
an inflated bag to sustain a person in water; life preserver.
24.
(in certain types of tanks, cisterns, etc.) a device, as a hollow ball, that through its buoyancy automatically regulates the level, supply, or outlet of a liquid.
25.
Nautical. a floating platform attached to a wharf, bank, or the like, and used as a landing.
26.
Aeronautics. a hollow, boatlike structure under the wing or fuselage of a seaplane or flying boat, keeping it afloat in water.
27.
Angling. a piece of cork or other material for supporting a baited line in the water and indicating by its movements when a fish bites.
28.
Zoology. an inflated organ that supports an animal in the water.
29.
a vehicle bearing a display, usually an elaborate tableau, in a parade or procession:
Each class prepared a float for the football pageant.
30.
a glass of fruit juice or soft drink with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it:
a root-beer float.
31.
(especially in the northeastern U.S.) a milk shake with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it.
32.
paddle1 (def 6).
33.
Banking. uncollected checks and commercial paper in process of transfer from bank to bank.
34.
the total amount of any cost-of-living or other variable adjustments added to an employee's pay or a retiree's benefits:
a float of $6 per month on top of Social Security benefits.
35.
an act or instance of floating, as a currency on the foreign-exchange market.
36.
Building Trades.
  1. a flat tool for spreading and smoothing plaster or stucco.
  2. a tool for polishing marble.
37.
a single-cut file of moderate smoothness.
38.
a loose-fitting, sometimes very full dress without a waistline.
39.
(in weaving and knitting) a length of yarn that extends over several rows or stitches without being interworked.
40.
British. a sum of money used by a storekeeper to provide change for the till at the start of a day's business.
41.
British. a small vehicle, usually battery powered, used to make deliveries, as of milk.
42.
a low-bodied dray for transporting heavy goods.
43.
Geology, Mining.
  1. loose fragments of rock, ore, etc., that have been moved from one place to another by the action of wind, water, etc.
  2. ore that has been washed downhill from an orebody and is found lying on the surface of the ground.
  3. any mineral in suspension in water.
44.
Usually, floats. British Theater, footlights.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English floten, Old English flotian; cognate with Old Norse flota, Middle Dutch vloten; akin to Old English flēotan to fleet2
Related forms
outfloat, verb (used with object)
refloat, verb
Synonyms
3. hover, waft, drift, suspend.
Examples from the web for floats
  • The slag floats on top of the heavier matte, and is removed and discarded or recycled.
  • Subdued effects are produced by shorter floats of yarn, and sometimes by special weaves.
British Dictionary definitions for floats

floats

/fləʊts/
plural noun
1.
(theatre) another word for footlights

float

/fləʊt/
verb
1.
to rest or cause to rest on the surface of a fluid or in a fluid or space without sinking; be buoyant or cause to exhibit buoyancy: oil floats on water, to float a ship
2.
to move or cause to move buoyantly, lightly, or freely across a surface or through air, water, etc; drift: fog floated across the road
3.
to move about aimlessly, esp in the mind: thoughts floated before him
4.
to suspend or be suspended without falling; hang: lights floated above them
5.
(transitive)
  1. to launch or establish (a commercial enterprise, etc)
  2. to offer for sale (stock or bond issues, etc) on the stock market
6.
(transitive) (finance) to allow (a currency) to fluctuate against other currencies in accordance with market forces
7.
(transitive) to flood, inundate, or irrigate (land), either artificially or naturally
8.
(transitive) to spread, smooth, or level (a surface of plaster, rendering, etc)
noun
9.
something that floats
10.
(angling) an indicator attached to a baited line that sits on the water and moves when a fish bites
11.
a small hand tool with a rectangular blade used for floating plaster, etc
12.
(mainly US) any buoyant object, such as a platform or inflated tube, used offshore by swimmers or, when moored alongside a pier, as a dock by vessels
13.
Also called paddle. a blade of a paddle wheel
14.
(Brit) a buoyant garment or device to aid a person in staying afloat
15.
a hollow watertight structure fitted to the underside of an aircraft to allow it to land on water
16.
another name for air bladder (sense 2)
17.
an exhibit carried in a parade, esp a religious parade
18.
a motor vehicle used to carry a tableau or exhibit in a parade, esp a civic parade
19.
a small delivery vehicle, esp one powered by batteries: a milk float
20.
(Austral & NZ) a vehicle for transporting horses
21.
(banking, mainly US) the total value of uncollected cheques and other commercial papers
22.
(mainly US & Canadian) a sum to be applied to minor expenses; petty cash
23.
a sum of money used by shopkeepers to provide change at the start of the day's business, this sum being subtracted from the total at the end of the day when calculating the day's takings
24.
the hollow floating ball of a ballcock
25.
(engineering) a hollow cylindrical structure in a carburettor that actuates the fuel valve
26.
(mainly US & Canadian) a carbonated soft drink with a scoop of ice cream in it
27.
(in textiles) a single thread brought to or above the surface of a woven fabric, esp to form a pattern
28.
(forestry) a measure of timber equal to eighteen loads
See also float off, floats
Derived Forms
floatable, adjective
floatability, noun
Word Origin
Old English flotian; related to Old Norse flota , Old Saxon flotōn; see fleet²
Word Origin and History for floats

float

v.

late Old English flotian "to float" (class II strong verb; past tense fleat, past participle floten), from Proto-Germanic *flutojanan (cf. Old Norse flota, Middle Dutch vloten), from PIE root *pleu- "to flow" (see pluvial). Of motion through air, from 1630s. Related: Floated; floating.

n.

early 12c., "state of floating" (Old English flot meant "body of water"), from float (v.). Meaning "platform on wheels used for displays in parades, etc." is from 1888, probably from earlier sense of "flat-bottomed boat" (1550s). As a type of fountain drink, by 1915.

Float.--An ade upon the top of which is floated a layer of grape juice, ginger ale, or in some cases a disher of fruit sherbet or ice cream. In the latter case it would be known as a "sherbet float" or an "ice-cream float." ["The Dispenser's Formulary: Or, Soda Water Guide," New York, 1915]


Few soda water dispensers know what is meant by a "Float Ice Cream Soda." This is not strange since the term is a coined one. By a "float ice cream soda" is meant a soda with the ice cream floating on top, thus making a most inviting appearance and impressing the customer that you are liberal with your ice cream, when you are not really giving any more than the fellow that mixes his ice cream "out of sight." ["The Spatula," Boston, July, 1908]

floats in Science
float
  (flōt)   
An air-filled sac in certain aquatic organisms, such as kelp, that helps maintain buoyancy. Also called air bladder, air vesicle.
Slang definitions & phrases for floats

float

noun

A customer who leaves while one is looking for merchandise (1950s+ Salespersons)

verb
  1. To loaf on the job; goof off (1930+)
  2. To disseminate; send out: Reporters have been told to float their resumes (1970s+)