afloat
Americanadverb
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floating or borne on the water; in a floating condition.
The ship was set afloat.
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on board a ship, boat, raft, etc.; at sea.
cargo afloat and ashore.
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covered with water; flooded; awash.
The main deck was afloat.
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moving without being guided or controlled; drifting.
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passing from place to place; in circulation.
A rumor is afloat.
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free of major trouble, especially financially solvent.
to keep a venture afloat.
adjective
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floating
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aboard ship; at sea
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covered with water; flooded
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aimlessly drifting
afloat in a sea of indecision
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in circulation; afoot
nasty rumours were afloat
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free of debt; solvent
Other Word Forms
- half-afloat adjective
Etymology
Origin of afloat
before 1000; Middle English, Old English on flote. See a- 1, float
Explanation
If something's afloat, it's drifting on the water. When you sail toy boats, you set them afloat across a pond or lake. You can set something afloat, like an inner tube in a pool or a leaf on a stream, or you can struggle to stay afloat, as when the passengers of a capsized boat try to keep their heads above water. In either case, being afloat means floating on the surface. The Old English word is aflote, from a Germanic root word.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That’s because if high-income shoppers scale back their spending, then the other horizontal lines of the “E” — the lower and middle classes — may not have enough spending power to keep the economy afloat.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
Healthcare is also keeping the labor market afloat.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
The ship also had a series of watertight compartments and could remain afloat if up to four were breached.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
We know that underneath, we’re laboring frantically to keep going — sometimes, even just to stay afloat.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
His tree moved beneath him; he, too, was now afloat.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
