float Hear it!

float Definition

float (flōt)

noun

  1. anything that stays, or causes something else to stay, on the surface of a liquid or suspended near the surface; specif.,
    1. an air-filled bladder, as in a fish
    2. a cork on a fishing line
    3. a floating ball or device that regulates the valve controlling water level, as in a tank, or fuel supply, as in a carburetor
    4. a raftlike platform anchored near a shore, as for use by swimmers
    5. ☆ a life preserver
    6. a buoyant device on an aircraft to enable it to land or remain on water
    1. a low, flat, decorated vehicle for carrying exhibits, tableaux, etc. in a parade
    2. this vehicle together with its exhibit, tableau, etc.
  3. a flat tool for smoothing or spreading cement, plaster, etc.
  4. a thread that is brought to the surface of a cloth in weaving, esp. to form a pattern
  5. ☆ a cold beverage with ice cream floating in it root beer float
  6. the act or an instance of floating
  7. any of the various styles of floating executed by swimmers
  8. the act of allowing a currency to float on the market
  9. ☆ Banking the total value of checks or drafts in transit and not yet collected

Etymology: ME flote < OE flota, that which floats, ship, fleet < base of fleotan: see fleet

intransitive verb

  1. to stay on the surface of a liquid or suspended near the surface
  2. to drift or move slowly or easily on water, in air, etc. leaves floating down from the trees
  3. ☆ to move or drift about vaguely and without purpose idle thoughts floating through the mind
  4. to fluctuate freely in relationship to other currencies, as determined by supply and demand: said of a currency

Etymology: ME flotien < OE flotian

transitive verb

    1. to cause to stay on the surface of a liquid or suspended near the surface
    2. to bring to the surface and cause to stay there
  2. Now Rare to cover (land) with water; flood
    1. to put into circulation; place on the market to float a bond issue
    2. to establish or start (a business, etc.)
  4. to arrange for (a loan)
  5. to smooth or spread (cement, plaster, etc.)
  6. to allow the exchange value of (a currency) to fluctuate freely in relationship to other currencies

Related Forms:

float Synonyms

float

n.

  1. A watertight vessel used for buoyancy

    buoy, air cell, air cushion, lifesaver, pontoon, outrigger, cell, bobber, cork, quill, raft, diving platform, life preserver.

  2. A vehicle used for display

    exhibit, display, entry, car, chariot, platform.

float Synonyms

float

v.

waft, stay afloat, bob, hover; see drift, glide 2, swim.

float Finance Definition
  1. The difference between the funds that a bank has on deposit with the Federal Reserve and the funds that have been paid out of its account. Float adds to the money supply and is one of the money supply statistics collected and reported weekly by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
  2. The number of shares of stock available to be traded multiplied by the price of the shares. The bigger the float, the greater the stock’s liquidity.
float Usage Examples

Object

  • caliper: Brakes; Front - 240 mm stainless steel disk with floating three pistons caliper and integral braking.
  • tactic: Whilst most areas have fished well, the dam and early peg numbers continue to fish best to both pole and float tactics.
  • free-kick: Cruse floated a free-kick into the area which Mark Odom headed across goal but John McMahon's diving header went narrowly wide.
  • y: String getToolTipText ( float x, float y, Shape allocation ) Returns the tooltip text at the specified location.

Converse of object

  • decorate: As part of our Community Activity Day, I was helping to decorate the float.

Preposition: on

  • surface: By merely floating on the surface of the water, can you reach the gems lying at the bottom of the sea?

Noun phrase with adjective complement

  • only.: This field is meaningful for floating point types only. static T min ( ) throw( ; Returns the minimum finite value.

Modifies a noun

  • loadfactor: HashMap ( int initialCapacity, float loadFactor ) Constructs an empty HashMap with the specified initial capacity and load factor.
  • tactic: Both pole and float tactics are working best whilst the feeder is taking bream further out along the middle pegs.
  • rod: Interestingly, the carp all came from the float ledger rod.
  • getpreferredspan: Returns: always returns true getPreferredSpan public abstract float getPreferredSpan ( int axis ) Determines the preferred span for this view along an axis.
  • readfloat: See Also: FilterInputStream.in readFloat public final float readFloat ( ) throws IOException See the general contract of the readFloat method of DataInput.
  • rig: Float or running pole float rigs also work well fishing baits both on bottom and on the drop.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • around: The height at which they float around at is defined by weights in the form of paper clips on usually their arms or legs.

Adjective complement

  • downstream: As one review observed, " you float downstream gritting your teeth.

Preposition: in

  • mid-air: Can you imagine an animated alarm clock that also displays full-motion messages that appear to float in mid-air?

Preposition: under

  • stalagtites: Float under stalagtites, see ancient skeletons and pottery and prepare to be awstruck by cathedral-like caverns.

Noun used with modifier

  • milk: Milk Floats give a particular clatter each time they go over these humps - no matter how slowly they try to go.
  • stick: Using this method stick float can produce fish in high water conditions, slowing the bait up for the fish to respond.

Preposition: like

  • butterfly: Only if this angel floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.
float Quotes

English policy is to float lazily downstream, occasionally putting out a diplomatic boathook to avoid collisions.

—of Salisbury

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

—Ali, Muhammad formerly  Cassius Clay