The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - float v.

1) hover, poise, bob, waft, be suspended, hang; sail, drift, glide, swim: In the clear Caribbean waters, the boat seemed to float in mid-air. 2) launch, establish, set up, organize, found, initiate, get going or moving: The financiers are trying to float a new company. 3) negotiate, arrange, transact, bring or carry off, get, effect, consummate, Colloq pull off, swing: Were you able to float a loan on your house? --n. 4) raft, Brit platform: I can swim out to the float. 5) buoy; pontoon: The bridge is supported by floats. 6) (parade) exhibit or display: Our parade float won first prize.