<p><strong>Verb (used without object)</strong></p><ul><li>to rest or remain on the surface of a liquid; be buoyant.</li><li>to move gently on the surface of a liquid; drift along.</li><li>to rest or move in a liquid, the air, etc.: a balloon floating on high.</li><li>to move lightly and gracefully: She floated down the stairs.</li><li>to move or hover before the eyes or in the mind: Romantic visions floated before his eyes.</li><li>to pass from one person to another: A nasty rumor about his firm is floating around town.</li><li>to be free from attachment or involvement.</li><li>to move or drift about: to float from place to place.</li><li>to vacillate (often followed by between).</li><li>to be launched, as a company, scheme, etc.</li><li>(of a currency) to be allowed to fluctuate freely in the foreign-exchange market instead of being exchanged at a fixed rate.</li><li>(of an interest rate) to change periodically according to money-market conditions.</li><li>to be in circulation, as an acceptance; be awaiting maturity.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb (used with object)</strong></p><ul><li>to cause to float.</li><li>to cover with water or other liquid; flood; irrigate.</li><li>to launch (a company, scheme, etc.); set going.</li><li>to issue on the stock market in order to raise money, as stocks or bonds.</li><li>to let (a currency or interest rate) fluctuate in the foreign-exchange or money market.</li><li>to make smooth with a float, as the surface of plaster.</li><li>(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.</li></ul><p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>something that floats, as a raft.</li><li>something for buoying up.</li><li>an inflated bag to sustain a person in water; life preserver.</li><li>(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.</li><li>Nautical: a floating platform attached to a wharf, bank, or the like, and used as a landing.</li><li>Aeronautics: a hollow, boatlike structure under the wing or fuselage of a seaplane or flying boat, keeping it afloat in water.</li><li>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.</li><li>Zoology: an inflated organ that supports an animal in the water.</li><li>a vehicle bearing a display, usually an elaborate tableau, in a parade or procession: Each class prepared a float for the football pageant.</li><li>a glass of fruit juice or soft drink with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it: a root-beer float.</li><li>(especially in the northeastern United States) a milkshake with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it.</li><li>Banking: uncollected checks and commercial paper in the process of transfer from bank to bank.</li><li>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.</li><li>an act or instance of floating, as a currency on the foreign-exchange market.</li><li>Building Trades: a flat tool for spreading and smoothing plaster or stucco.</li><li>a tool for polishing marble.</li><li>a single-cut file of moderate smoothness.</li><li>a loose-fitting, sometimes very full dress without a waistline.</li><li>(in weaving and knitting) a length of yarn that extends over several rows or stitches without being interworked.</li><li>British: a sum of money used by a storekeeper to provide change for the till at the start of a day's business.</li><li>British: a small vehicle, usually battery powered, used to make deliveries, as of milk.</li><li>a low-bodied dray for transporting heavy goods.</li><li>Geology, Mining: loose fragments of rock, ore, etc., that have been moved from one place to another by the action of wind, water, etc.</li><li>ore that has been washed downhill from an orebody and is found lying on the surface of the ground.</li><li>any mineral in suspension in water.</li><li>Usually floats.</li><li>British Theater: footlight.</li></ul>