What does "afloat" mean?
Floating.
Afloat
/əˈfloʊt/ adj, adv, prep
adj, adv, prep ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Floating.
- Grammar: afloat is listed as adj, adv, prep.
- Nearest alternatives: adrift, aboard, accidental, accompanying.
- Useful contrasts: aground, bankrupt, defunct.
- Usage evidence: There are strange rumors afloat.
How to use "afloat"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "afloat" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "afloat" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "afloat" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "afloat" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "afloat" is acting as adj, adv, prep in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adrift" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "afloat", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Floating. not-comparable
"A rubber duck and other toys were afloat in the bath."
- 2 In, or found while in, a vessel at sea or on another body of water. not-comparable
"[…] that trade […] may likewise employ many useful hands both ashore and afloat,"
- 3 Floating in the air; flowing freely; not tied, braided, etc. (of hair or clothing) not-comparable
"her black hair loose and a-float down her dazzling white neck"
- 4 Covered with water, bearing floating objects. not-comparable
"The decks are afloat."
- 5 Covered, overspread, filled (with or in something). figuratively, not-comparable
"The larch-wood was afloat with clear, lyric green,"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Having just enough resources to continue to operate; barely able to pay expenses; (of a private individual, family, etc.) keeping one's head above water. not-comparable
"The donation will keep our business afloat for quite a while."
- 7 Believed or talked about by many people; being passed from person to person. figuratively, not-comparable, usually
"The supervisor was never fired, though countless accusations of dishonesty were afloat."
- 8 Stimulated, aroused, activated. figuratively, not-comparable, obsolete
"You’ll find, when once my passion is afloat, / The soul of Caesar, in a petticoat!"
- 9 In a state of confusion, bewilderment, or distraction. figuratively, not-comparable, obsolete
"1789, Edward Gibbon, letter to Lord Sheffield dated August 1789, in Miscellaneous Works, London: A. Strahan et al., 1796, p. 201, I know not what to say; my mind is all afloat; yet you will not reproach me with caprice or inconstancy."
Adjective
- 1 borne on the water; floating wordnet
- 2 covered with water wordnet
- 3 aimlessly drifting wordnet
Adverb
- 1 In or into a state of floating. not-comparable
"You have so little Brains, that a Penn’orth of Butter melted under ’um, would set ’um afloat:"
- 2 In, or while in, a vessel at sea or on another body of water; at sea. not-comparable
"[…] that trade […] may likewise employ many useful hands both ashore and afloat,"
- 3 Under water (bearing floating objects). not-comparable
"1695, Edmund Gibson (translator), Camden’s Britannia, London: A. Swalle, “Staffordshire,” […] it [the River Dove] overflows and lays the meadows afloat in April, like another Nile."
- 4 In or into circulation or currency. figuratively, not-comparable, usually
"setting a lie aflote"
- 5 In or into a condition of stimulation, arousal, confusion, bewilderment, etc. figuratively, not-comparable, obsolete
"No angry passions rise to disturb the silent progress of the work, […] no irritable humours are set afloat:"
Preposition
- 1 Floating upon. obsolete
"early 1600s, John Webster and William Rowley, The Thracian Wonder, London: Thomas Johnson, 1661, Act I, Scene 1, But Huswife, as for you, / You with your Brat, wee’l send afloat the Main,"
Example
"There are strange rumors afloat."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "afloat"?
Common synonyms include: adrift, aboard, accidental, accompanying, ado, adrift.
How do you use "afloat" in a sentence?
There are strange rumors afloat.
How do you pronounce "afloat"?
Pronounced /əˈfloʊt/.
Etymology
From a- + float.