[floht] 
| 1. | to rest or remain on the surface of a liquid; be buoyant: The hollow ball floated. |
| 2. | to move gently on the surface of a liquid; drift along: The canoe floated downstream. |
| 3. | to rest or move in a liquid, the air, etc.: a balloon floating on high. |
| 4. | to move lightly and gracefully: She floated down the stairs. |
| 5. | to move or hover before the eyes or in the mind: Romantic visions floated before his eyes. |
| 6. | to pass from one person to another: A nasty rumor about his firm is floating around town. |
| 7. | to be free from attachment or involvement. |
| 8. | to move or drift about: to float from place to place. |
| 9. | to vacillate (often fol. by between). |
| 10. | to be launched, as a company, scheme, etc. |
| 11. | (of a currency) to be allowed to fluctuate freely in the foreign-exchange market instead of being exchanged at a fixed rate. |
| 12. | (of an interest rate) to change periodically according to money-market conditions. |
| 13. | Commerce. to be in circulation, as an acceptance; be awaiting maturity. |
| 14. | to cause to float. |
| 15. | to cover with water or other liquid; flood; irrigate. |
| 16. | to launch (a company, scheme, etc.); set going. |
| 17. | to issue on the stock market in order to raise money, as stocks or bonds. |
| 18. | to let (a currency or interest rate) fluctuate in the foreign-exchange or money market. |
| 19. | to make smooth with a float, as the surface of plaster. |
| 20. | Theater. to lay down (a flat), usually by bracing the bottom edge of the frame with the foot and allowing the rest to fall slowly to the floor. |
| 21. | something that floats, as a raft. |
| 22. | something for buoying up. |
| 23. | an inflated bag to sustain a person in water; life preserver. |
| 24. | (in certain types of tanks, cisterns, etc.) a device, as a hollow ball, that through its buoyancy automatically regulates the level, supply, or outlet of a liquid. |
| 25. | Nautical. a floating platform attached to a wharf, bank, or the like, and used as a landing. |
| 26. | Aeronautics. a hollow, boatlike structure under the wing or fuselage of a seaplane or flying boat, keeping it afloat in water. |
| 27. | Angling. a piece of cork or other material for supporting a baited line in the water and indicating by its movements when a fish bites. |
| 28. | Zoology. an inflated organ that supports an animal in the water. |
| 29. | a vehicle bearing a display, usually an elaborate tableau, in a parade or procession: Each class prepared a float for the football pageant. |
| 30. | a glass of fruit juice or soft drink with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it: a root-beer float. |
| 31. | (esp. in the northeastern U.S.) a milk shake with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it. |
| 32. | paddle 1 (def. 6). |
| 33. | Banking. uncollected checks and commercial paper in process of transfer from bank to bank. |
| 34. | the total amount of any cost-of-living or other variable adjustments added to an employee's pay or a retiree's benefits: a float of $6 per month on top of Social Security benefits. |
| 35. | an act or instance of floating, as a currency on the foreign-exchange market. |
| 36. | Building Trades.
|
| 37. | a single-cut file of moderate smoothness. |
| 38. | a loose-fitting, sometimes very full dress without a waistline. |
| 39. | (in weaving and knitting) a length of yarn that extends over several rows or stitches without being interworked. |
| 40. | British. a sum of money used by a storekeeper to provide change for the till at the start of a day's business. |
| 41. | British. a small vehicle, usually battery powered, used to make deliveries, as of milk. |
| 42. | a low-bodied dray for transporting heavy goods. |
| 43. | Geology, Mining.
|
| 44. | Usually, floats. British Theater. footlights. |
float
| float (flōt) Pronunciation Key
An air-filled sac in certain aquatic organisms, such as kelp, that helps maintain buoyancy. Also called air bladder, air vesicle. |
