Afloat
[ə'fləʊt] or [ə'flot]
Definition
(adj.) borne on the water; floating .
(adj.) covered with water; 'the main deck was afloat (or awash)'; 'the monsoon left the whole place awash'; 'a flooded bathroom'; 'inundated farmlands'; 'an overflowing tub' .
Checked by Basil--From WordNet
Definition
(adv. & a.) Borne on the water; floating; on board ship.
(adv. & a.) Moving; passing from place to place; in general circulation; as, a rumor is afloat.
(adv. & a.) Unfixed; moving without guide or control; adrift; as, our affairs are all afloat.
Inputed by Erma
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Adrift, abroad, at_sea, abroach, loose, distracted, dazed
ANT:Ashore, snug, tight, close, fast, collected, concentrated
Editor: Ned
Definition
adv. or adj. floating: at sea: unfixed: in circulation.
Edited by Julia
Examples
- The Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, owned by the North German Lloyd Company, and built in 1897, is shown in Fig. 114, and for three years held the record as the fastest steamship afloat. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- They're never so well off as when they're afloat. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Again, plac e the magnet in a wooden vessel, and then set the vessel afloat in a tub or cistern of still water. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- Yet scarcely a single accent among the many afloat tonight could have such power to impress a listener with thoughts of its origin. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- They're the best schemes afloat. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- He said that he could build a submarine that could swim under the water and destroy any war vessel afloat. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- I was tossed into the sea near the shore, and, buoyed up by my life-belt, I managed to keep myself afloat till the waves landed me on the beach. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- And sure enough, afloat on the placid sea a league away, lay a great city, with its towers and domes and steeples drowsing in a golden mist of sunset. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- There were all sorts of rumours afloat about Beaufort. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- When all six were afloat, the islanders took the oars and commenced to pull outward, so as to skirt the breakwater. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- Note has already been made of the first Edison plants afloat on the Jeannette and Columbia, and the first commercial plant in the New York lithographic establishment. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- If ever there was a perfect beauty afloat, she is one; and there she lays at Spithead, and anybody in England would take her for an eight-and-twenty. Jane Austen. Mansfield Park.
- Thus, after four years of assiduous labor, fatigue, and difficulty, are we again set afloat by a new and most unexpected obstacle. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- Being the professor's sole companion in his botanical excursions, I almost forgot that I had ever been afloat, and became quite learned. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- Unfortunately he could not run, owing to his wound, so he had to abandon the pursuit, and the foremost fugitives managed to get afloat. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- There is some mystery afloat; some event is expected; some preparation is to be made, I am certain. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- It was evident that very grave and eventful proceedings were on foot; but various surmises were afloat, respecting their precise character. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
Edited by Julia