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   float

   /fləʊt/

   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 or near the surface of a liquid: "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 rumour, idea, etc.) circulate: "the notion was floating around Capitol Hill"
   • ▪ move in a casual or leisurely way: "Araminta floated down the stairs"
   • ▪ (in sport) make (the ball) travel lightly and effortlessly through the air: "he floated the kick into the net"
   • 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 float.

   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 light object held for support by a person learning to swim.
   • ▪ 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 floating device on the surface of a liquid which forms part of a valve apparatus controlling flow in and out of the enclosing container, e.g. in a water cistern or a carburettor.
   • 2. a small vehicle or cart, especially one powered by electricity. British
   • ▪ a platform mounted on a truck and carrying a display in a procession: "a carnival float"
   • 3. a sum of money used for change at the beginning of a period of trading in a shop or stall etc., or for minor expenditures. British
   • 4. a hand tool with a rectangular blade used for smoothing plaster.
   • 5. a soft drink with a scoop of ice cream floating in it: North American "ice-cream floats"
   • 6. (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

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   • L

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