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Float

//fləʊt// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun

1
A buoyant device used to support something in water or another liquid.
"Attach the float and the weight to the fishing line, above the hook."
2
an air-filled sac near the spinal column in many fishes that helps maintain buoyancy wordnet
3
A mass of timber or boards fastened together, and conveyed down a stream by the current; a raft.
4
something that floats on the surface of water wordnet
5
A float board.

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6
a hand tool with a flat face used for smoothing and finishing the surface of plaster or cement or stucco wordnet
7
A tool similar to a rasp, used in various trades.
8
an elaborate display mounted on a platform carried by a truck (or pulled by a truck) in a procession or parade wordnet
9
A sort of trowel used for finishing concrete surfaces or smoothing plaster.
"When pouring a new driveway, you can use a two-by-four as a float."
10
a drink with ice cream floating in it wordnet
11
An elaborately decorated trailer or vehicle, intended for display in a parade or pageant.
"That float covered in roses is very pretty."
12
the number of shares outstanding and available for trading by the public wordnet
13
A floating toy made of foam, used in swimming pools.
14
the time interval between the deposit of a check in a bank and its payment wordnet
15
A small vehicle used for local deliveries, especially in the term milk float. British
"As soon as the skies brightened and plum-blossom was out, Paul drove off in the milkman's heavy float up to Willey Farm."
16
Funds committed to be paid but not yet paid.
"Our bank does a nightly sweep of accounts, to adjust the float so we stay within our reserves limit."
17
An offering of shares in a company (or units in a trust) to members of the public, normally followed by a listing on a stock exchange. Australia
"You don't actually need a broker to buy shares in a float when a company is about to be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange."
18
The total amount of checks/cheques or other drafts written against a bank account but not yet cleared and charged against the account.
"No sir, your current float is not taken into account, when assets are legally garnished."
19
Premiums taken in but not yet paid out.
"We make a lot of interest from our nightly float."
20
A floating-point number, especially one that has lower precision than a double.
"That routine should not have used an int; it should be a float."
21
A soft beverage with a scoop of ice cream floating in it.
"I don't consider anything other than root-beer with vanilla ice cream to be a "real" float."
22
A small sum of money put in a cashier's till, or otherwise secured, at the start of business, to enable change to be made.
23
A maneuver where a player calls on the flop or turn with a weak hand, with the intention of bluffing after a subsequent community card.
24
A weft thread that passes over two or more warp threads (or less commonly, warp over weft).
"I knew that a simple float on the surface of the Merino might catch if I made it big enough to show very much."
25
A loose strand of yarn that passes behind one or more stitches when knitting with multiple yarns.
26
A decorative rod that extends over the body of a basket without being attached for part of its length.
"Rod Basket with Serpentine Floats"
27
A car carrier or car transporter truck or truck-and-trailer combination.
28
A lowboy trailer.
29
The act of flowing; flux; flow. obsolete
"Hee being now in Float for Treasure."
30
A polishing block used in marble working; a runner.
"The machinery consists of two saws, a polishing table, a float for grinding marble, and a ripping saw for cutting slabs."
31
A coal cart. UK, dated
32
A breakdancing move in which the body is held parallel to the floor while balancing on one or both hands.
33
A visual style on a web page that causes the styled elements to float above or beside others.
"Because margin floats don't collapse together, the actual spacing between two floats sitting next to each other will be 6 pixels […]"
34
The gas-filled sac, bag, or body of a siphonophore; a pneumatophore.
35
Any object (element) whose location in composition (page makeup, pagination) does not flow within body text but rather floats outside of it, usually anchored loosely (in buoy metaphor) to spots within it (citations, callouts): a figure (image), table, box, pull quote, ornament, or other floated element.

Verb

1
To be supported by a fluid of greater density (than the object). intransitive
"Helium balloons float in air, while air-filled balloons don't."
2
convert from a fixed point notation to a floating point notation wordnet
3
To be supported by a fluid of greater density (than the object).; To be supported by a liquid of greater density, such that part (of the object or substance) remains above the surface. intransitive
"The boat floated on the water."
4
allow (currencies) to fluctuate wordnet
5
To cause something to be suspended in a fluid of greater density. transitive
"to float a boat"

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6
make the surface of level or smooth wordnet
7
To be capable of floating. intransitive
"That boat doesn't float."
8
put into the water wordnet
9
To move in a particular direction with the liquid in which one is floating. intransitive
"I’d love to just float downstream."
10
move lightly, as if suspended wordnet
11
To drift or wander aimlessly. intransitive
"I’m not sure where they went... they're floating around here somewhere."
12
set afloat wordnet
13
To drift gently through the air. intransitive
"The balloon floated off into the distance."
14
be in motion due to some air or water current wordnet
15
To cause to drift gently through the air, to waft. transitive
"Over the tree-tops I float thee a song, / Over the rising and sinking waves, over the myriad fields and the prairies wide, / Over the dense-pack’d cities all and the teeming wharves and ways, / I float this carol with joy, with joy to thee O death."
16
be afloat either on or below a liquid surface and not sink to the bottom wordnet
17
To move in a fluid manner. intransitive
"The dancer floated gracefully around the stage."
18
circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with wordnet
19
To circulate. figuratively, intransitive
"There's a rumour floating around the office that Jan is pregnant."
20
To remain airborne, without touching down, for an excessive length of time during landing, due to excessive airspeed during the landing flare. intransitive
21
Of an idea or scheme, to be viable. colloquial, intransitive
"That's a daft idea... it'll never float."
22
To propose (an idea) for consideration. transitive
"I floated the idea of free ice cream on Fridays, but no one was interested."
23
To automatically adjust a parameter as related parameters change. intransitive
24
To not be tied to a reference.; (of currencies) To have an exchange value determined by the markets, as opposed to by central fiat. intransitive
"The yen floats against the dollar."
25
To not be tied to a reference.; To allow (the exchange value of a currency) to be determined by the markets. transitive
"The government floated the pound in January."
26
To not be tied to a reference.; To be not connected or referenced to a known reference voltage. intransitive
27
To extend a short-term loan to. colloquial, transitive
"Could you float me $50 until payday?"
28
To issue or sell shares in a company (or units in a trust) to members of the public, followed by listing on a stock exchange. transitive
""Peg out a claim wherever you like and we will float it," was the substance of many a code of instructions sent by unprincipled men in the mining world of the colonies to the gold prospectors in Port Darwin."
29
To spread plaster over (a surface), using the tool called a float. transitive
"This wire, nailed over the face of the old plaster will also reinforce any loose lath or plaster after the walls have set. Float the wall to the face of the lath first."
30
To use a float (rasp-like tool) upon. transitive
"It is time to float this horse's teeth."
31
To transport by float (vehicular trailer). transitive
32
To perform a float.
33
To cause (an element within a document) to float above or beside others. transitive
"To get the footer acting right, you need to float it and clear it on both margins."
34
To prepare a till (cash register) for operation, either by putting a float (cash amount) in the cash drawer to provide change for customers making cash payments or (by extension) by recording the time a till starts being used for card payments if it is card-only transitive
"You can't just close the drawer, log in to the till and start serving customers, telling them you're only taking card payments and that they should gonto another till if they're paying in cash. The till needs to be floated first, so ask the manager on the headset if you can use it and she'll float it and let you know when you can start serving."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English floten, from Old English flotian (“to float”), from Proto-West Germanic *flotōn, from Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewd-, *plew- (“to float, swim, fly”). Compare flow, fleet.

Etymology 2

From Middle English flote, from Old English flota (“sailor, boat”), from Proto-West Germanic *flotō, from Proto-Germanic *flutô, from Proto-Indo-European *plewd-.

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