AFLOAT Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

afloat 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈflōt

Definition of afloat

as in floating

riding upon the surface of a body of liquid the boat can't stay afloat much longer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

afloat

2 of 2

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of afloat

Adjective

In-app purchases to keep afloat Both apps are free to download but feature in-app purchases. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026 Long before becoming a Hollywood mainstay with a market cap of over $315 billion, Netflix was struggling to stay afloat. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026 When their main breadwinner is detained, the immigrant households struggle to stay afloat. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026 Yet many of them are stuck on an exhausting financial hamster wheel, continually grinding to stay afloat. — Justin Donald, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Like other groups cut off from funds, Estrella del Paso has patched together philanthropy and reserves in an attempt to stay afloat. — Sarah Matusek, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2026 Smith worked up to 100 hours per week during the business’s early years, investing his own savings to keep it afloat. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026 Benike said she was forced to cut staff and use her retirement savings to keep the business afloat. — Elizabeth Schulze, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026 The Roamer was still afloat, with three or four feet of her prow showing above water, her cabin awash and her stern out of sight. — James D. Oxley, Outdoor Life, 5 Aug. 2026

Adverb

Mendelsohn said implementing in-app purchases was necessary because the cost of keeping Roost afloat is costly. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026 Whether that’s enough to keep the startup afloat, and what Gates’ path forward resembles, remains to be seen . — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026 The news not only comes after weeks of speculation about whether the season finale would take place, but also after the breakaway circuit announced a new, unknown investor to keep LIV afloat into 2027 and beyond. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026 The GoFundMe page was made with an $11,000 goal to help the Hicks family with medical bills, therapy, follow-up care, daily living expenses and with keeping their restaurant afloat. — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026 Yet the days afloat are long; making it through each one is usually the harder struggle. — Theodore R. Johnson, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2026 But after reaching All-Star status for the first time in his career, after keeping the Heat afloat through the first half of last season while Herro was sidelined, Norman Powell need offer no apology for feeling slighted. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026 In the past, the government intervened in a crisis to keep a critical company afloat; the bailout of General Motors and Chrysler in 2008 is the best example. — James K. Glassman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Even when the material falls short of their talents, Erivo and Grande keep For Good afloat. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for afloat

Adjective

Companies with a smaller market value generally tend to have more floating rate debt than larger businesses.

— Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
Social media posts and years of reviewing cookie-cutter luxury hotels had conditioned me to equate floating breakfasts, monogrammed accessories, butler service, and aromatherapy menus as markers of a dreamy luxury vacation.

— Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 22 Oct. 2024

Definition of floating

Adverb

He has also been allowed weekly meetings with his wife, as well as telephone and WhatsApp contact with relatives in Pakistan and abroad, the ministry said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
That’s unlikely to change now, especially as China sees how unpopular the ongoing conflict has been within the US and abroad, and as Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to visit the United States next month.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of abroad

Adverb

This time the recipient is area rancher Benjamin Bonney (Dermot Mulroney), who along with his thuggish sons is suspected of murdering anyone hereabouts who won’t surrender their own land to him.

— Dennis Harvey, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025
Blame the damp and moderate climate hereabouts or the particular ardor of the northern red-legged frog, but our target species is ready to hop anytime between early November and the middle of March.

— Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2024

Definition of hereabouts

Adverb

There are steps everywhere, apart from the restaurant, and access on and off the boats can be a bit tricky.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
Red continues to reign, appearing everywhere from bright turtlenecks by brands like Celine and Lii to bold red dresses.

— Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of everywhere

Browse Nearby Words

aflame

afloat

aflutter

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Afloat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afloat. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of afloat

adjective

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

kith

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes