afloat

adjective or adverb

1
a
: borne on or as if on the water
b
: being at sea
2
: free of difficulties : self-sufficient
the inheritance kept them afloat for years
3
a
: circulating about
nasty stories were afloat
b
: adrift

Examples of afloat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With an afloat schedule packed with exercises, trainings and exchanges, the aged ship was still able to prevent nearly 4,000 pounds of cocaine and 5,400 pounds of marijuana from entering the United States. Craig Hooper, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 This new home, however, is afloat and moving from place to place. Georgina Cruz, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 The father’s frustration with the failure of his business ventures and all efforts to stay afloat forces him to shift from being a considerate parent into a militant one obsessed with controlling his children who know no other way but to obey him. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Jan. 2024 DeSantis' campaign shaved more than a third of its staff in the second quarter of 2023 to remain afloat financially through the fall. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2023 After being afloat off the coast of France from June 1 to 5, A Company began landing on Utah Beach on June 6, and by June 8 one platoon had brought four tanks ashore, the reports say. Glenn Kessler, Anchorage Daily News, 26 July 2023 As the morning unspooled, these gave way to a creamy wash of slate blue and pearl gray, revealing our camp to be afloat on an ocean of gently swelling rocky dunes that stretched to the distant purple Atlas Mountains, whose peaks were luminous beneath fresh snow. Caity Weaver, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2023 The bill is the latest effort by the federal government to help keep afloat businesses that have had to close or dramatically alter their operations as states try to slow the spread of the virus. Andrew Taylor, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Apr. 2020 On Friday, Trump signed a $484 billion bill to aid employers and hospitals under stress from the pandemic — the latest federal effort to help keep afloat businesses that have had to close or scale down. BostonGlobe.com, 24 Apr. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'afloat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English aflote, going back to Old English aflote, on flote, from a- a- entry 1, on on entry 1 + flote, dative of flot "deep water, sea" — more at float entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of afloat was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near afloat

Cite this Entry

“Afloat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afloat. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

afloat

adjective or adverb
1
a
: carried on or as if on the water
b
: being at sea
2
: circulating about : rumored
there was a story afloat

More from Merriam-Webster on afloat

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