1. Be in motion due to some air or water current
   "the boat floated on the lake";
   - drift, be adrift, blow
    
2. Be afloat either on or below a liquid surface and not sink to the bottom
   "The cork floated on the water";
   - swim
    
3. Move lightly, as if suspended
   "The dancer floated across the stage"
    
4. Set afloat
   "He floated the logs down the river"; "The boy floated his toy boat on the pond"
    
5. Put into the water
   "float a ship"
    
6. Circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with
   "The Republicans are floating the idea of a tax reform"
    
7. Allow (currencies) to fluctuate
   "The government floated the ruble for a few months"
    
8. Make the surface level or smooth
   "float the plaster"
    
9. Convert from a fixed point notation to a floating point notation
   "float data"

1. Something that floats on the surface of water
   "The child's toy boat bobbed like a float on the pond's surface"
    
2. An air-filled sac near the spinal column in many fishes that helps maintain buoyancy
   "The fish adjusted its float to swim at different depths";
   - air bladder, swim bladder
    
3. An elaborate display mounted on a platform carried by a truck (or pulled by a truck) in a procession or parade
   "The colourful float depicting a fairy tale scene delighted spectators at the parade"
    
4. A drink with ice cream floating in it
   "The diner was famous for its old-fashioned ice-cream floats";
   - ice-cream soda, ice-cream float
    
5. The number of shares outstanding and available for trading by the public
   "The company's IPO increased its float significantly"
    
6. The time interval between the deposit of a check in a bank and its payment
   "The bank's policy allowed for a three-day float on out-of-state checks"
    
7. A hand tool with a flat face used for smoothing and finishing the surface of plaster, cement or stucco
   "The mason used a float to create a smooth finish on the freshly applied stucco";
   - plasterer's float

Derived forms: floated, floats, floating

Type of: artefact [Brit], artifact [N. Amer], change over, convert, display, drink, essay, examine, go, hand tool, interval, launch, locomote, move, presentation, prove, sac, smooth, smoothen, stock, test, time interval, transport, travel, trial, try, try out, value

Antonym: go under

Encyclopedia: Float