float

verb

• 1rest or move on or near the surface of a liquid without sinking:she relaxed, floating gently in the water
• [with object] cause (a buoyant object) to rest or move on the surface of a liquid without sinking:trees were felled and floated downstream
• be suspended freely in a liquid or gas:fragments of chipped cartilage floated in the joint

• 2 [with adverbial of direction] move or hover slowly and lightly in a liquid or the air; drift:clouds floated across a brilliant blue sky figurativethrough the open window floated the sound of traffic
• (float about/around) (of a rumor, idea, etc.) circulate:the notion was floating around Capitol Hill
• (of a sight or idea) come before the eyes or mind:the advice his father had given him floated into his mind
• [with object] (in sports) make (the ball) travel lightly and effortlessly through the air:he floated the kick into the net

• 3 [with object] put forward (an idea) as a suggestion or test of reactions.
• offer the shares of (a company) for sale on the stock market for the first time.

• 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
• [with object] allow (a currency) to fluctuate in value.

noun

• 1a thing that is buoyant in water, in particular.
• 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 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 device floating on the surface of a liquid that forms part of a valve apparatus controlling flow in and out of the enclosing container, e.g., in a toilet tank or a carburetor.

• 2a platform mounted on a truck and carrying a display in a parade:a carnival float

• 3a hand tool with a rectangular blade used for smoothing plaster or concrete.

• 4chiefly North American a soft drink with a scoop of ice cream floating in it:root-beer floats

• 5(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.