float

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   To be supported by a fluid of greater density (than the object).

   • Helium balloons float in air, while air-filled balloons don't.
2. 2

   To cause something to be suspended in a fluid of greater density.

   • to float a boat
3. 3

   To be capable of floating.

   • That boat doesn't float.
   • Oil floats on vinegar.
4. ›+ 47 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      To move in a particular direction with the liquid in which one is floating.

      • I’d love to just float downstream.
   2. 5

      To drift or wander aimlessly.

      • I’m not sure where they went... they're floating around here somewhere.
      • Images from my childhood floated through my mind.
   3. 6

      To drift gently through the air.

      • The balloon floated off into the distance.
   4. 7

      To cause to drift gently through the air, to waft.

   5. 8

      To move in a fluid manner.

      • The dancer floated gracefully around the stage.
   6. 9

      To circulate.

      • There's a rumour floating around the office that Jan is pregnant.
   7. 10

      To remain airborne, without touching down, for an excessive length of time during…

      To remain airborne, without touching down, for an excessive length of time during landing, due to excessive airspeed during the landing flare.

   8. 11

      Of an idea or scheme, to be viable.

      • That's a daft idea... it'll never float.
   9. 12

      To propose (an idea) for consideration.

      • I floated the idea of free ice cream on Fridays, but no one was interested.
      • Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, also floated the idea of turning Canada into a U.S. state, said he would demand far higher defense spending from NATO allies and promised to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
   10. 13

       To automatically adjust a parameter as related parameters change.

   11. 14

       To not be tied to a reference.

       • The yen floats against the dollar.
   12. 15

       To extend a short-term loan to.

       • Could you float me $50 until payday?
   13. 16

       To issue or sell shares in a company (or units in a trust) to members of the public,…

       To issue or sell shares in a company (or units in a trust) to members of the public, followed by listing on a stock exchange.

       • "Peg out a claim wherever you like and we will float it," was the substance of many a code of instructions sent by unprincipled men in the mining world of the colonies to the gold prospectors in Port Darwin.
       • He [Mario Moretti Polegato] floated the company on the Milan Stock Exchange last December and sold 29 per cent of its shares, mostly to American investors.
   14. 17

       To spread plaster over (a surface), using the tool called a float.

       • This wire, nailed over the face of the old plaster will also reinforce any loose lath or plaster after the walls have set. Float the wall to the face of the lath first.
   15. 18

       To use a float (rasp-like tool) upon.

       • It is time to float this horse's teeth.
   16. 19

       To transport by float (vehicular trailer).

   17. 20

       To perform a float.

   18. 21

       To cause (an element within a document) to float above or beside others.

       • To get the footer acting right, you need to float it and clear it on both margins.
   19. 22

       To prepare a till (cash register) for operation, either by putting a float (cash amount)…

       To prepare a till (cash register) for operation, either by putting a float (cash amount) in the cash drawer to provide change for customers making cash payments or (by extension) by recording the time a till starts being used for card payments if it is card-only

   20. 23

       A buoyant device used to support something in water or another liquid.

       • Attach the float and the weight to the fishing line, above the hook.
       • 'What you need are frogs,' said the veteran. 'Fish them at night. There's nothing like them on big cork floats.'
   21. 24

       A mass of timber or boards fastened together, and conveyed down a stream by the current

       A mass of timber or boards fastened together, and conveyed down a stream by the current; a raft.

   22. 25

       A float board.

   23. 26

       A tool similar to a rasp, used in various trades.

   24. 27

       A sort of trowel used for finishing concrete surfaces or smoothing plaster.

       • When pouring a new driveway, you can use a two-by-four as a float.
   25. 28

       An elaborately decorated trailer or vehicle, intended for display in a parade or pageant.

       • That float covered in roses is very pretty.
   26. 29

       A floating toy made of foam, used in swimming pools.

   27. 30

       A small vehicle used for local deliveries, especially in the term milk float.

       • As soon as the skies brightened and plum-blossom was out, Paul drove off in the milkman's heavy float up to Willey Farm.
   28. 31

       Funds committed to be paid but not yet paid.

       • Our bank does a nightly sweep of accounts, to adjust the float so we stay within our reserves limit.
   29. 32

       An offering of shares in a company (or units in a trust) to members of the public,…

       An offering of shares in a company (or units in a trust) to members of the public, normally followed by a listing on a stock exchange.

       • You don't actually need a broker to buy shares in a float when a company is about to be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.
   30. 33

       The total amount of checks/cheques or other drafts written against a bank account but not…

       The total amount of checks/cheques or other drafts written against a bank account but not yet cleared and charged against the account.

       • No sir, your current float is not taken into account, when assets are legally garnished.
   31. 34

       Premiums taken in but not yet paid out.

       • We make a lot of interest from our nightly float.
   32. 35

       A floating-point number, especially one that has lower precision than a double.

       • That routine should not have used an int; it should be a float.
       • If you want to be a scientist or an engineer, learn to say “no” to singles and floats.
   33. 36

       A soft beverage with a scoop of ice cream floating in it.

       • I don't consider anything other than root-beer with vanilla ice cream to be a "real" float.
   34. 37

       A small sum of money put in a cashier's till, or otherwise secured, at the start of…

       A small sum of money put in a cashier's till, or otherwise secured, at the start of business, to enable change to be made.

   35. 38

       A maneuver where a player calls on the flop or turn with a weak hand, with the intention…

       A maneuver where a player calls on the flop or turn with a weak hand, with the intention of bluffing after a subsequent community card.

   36. 39

       A weft thread that passes over two or more warp threads (or less commonly, warp over…

       A weft thread that passes over two or more warp threads (or less commonly, warp over weft).

       • I knew that a simple float on the surface of the Merino might catch if I made it big enough to show very much.
   37. 40

       A loose strand of yarn that passes behind one or more stitches when knitting with…

       A loose strand of yarn that passes behind one or more stitches when knitting with multiple yarns.

   38. 41

       A decorative rod that extends over the body of a basket without being attached for part…

       A decorative rod that extends over the body of a basket without being attached for part of its length.

       • Rod Basket with Serpentine Floats
   39. 42

       A car carrier or car transporter truck or truck-and-trailer combination.

   40. 43

       A lowboy trailer.

   41. 44

       The act of flowing

       The act of flowing; flux; flow.

       • Hee being now in Float for Treasure.
   42. 45

       A polishing block used in marble working

       A polishing block used in marble working; a runner.

       • The machinery consists of two saws, a polishing table, a float for grinding marble, and a ripping saw for cutting slabs.
       • Float Machinist— One who squares up, faces, noses or chamfers on a float all marble, slate, or similar stones, and including terrazzo or similar compositions.
       • Next , finishers rub a float — a small and smooth, rectangular piece of wood — over the entire surface, carefully avoiding edges and joints.
   43. 46

       A coal cart.

   44. 47

       A breakdancing move in which the body is held parallel to the floor while balancing on…

       A breakdancing move in which the body is held parallel to the floor while balancing on one or both hands.

   45. 48

       A visual style on a web page that causes the styled elements to float above or beside…

       A visual style on a web page that causes the styled elements to float above or beside others.

       • Because margin floats don't collapse together, the actual spacing between two floats sitting next to each other will be 6 pixels […]
       • When a float cannot fit next to another float, it moves down below it. A float's position, size, padding, borders, and margins affect the position of adjacent floats and adjacent inline content.
   46. 49

       The gas-filled sac, bag, or body of a siphonophore

       The gas-filled sac, bag, or body of a siphonophore; a pneumatophore.

   47. 50

       Any object (element) whose location in composition (page makeup, pagination) does not…

       Any object (element) whose location in composition (page makeup, pagination) does not flow within body text but rather floats outside of it, usually anchored loosely (in buoy metaphor) to spots within it (citations, callouts): a figure (image), table, box, pull quote, ornament, or other floated element.

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