float
verb/fləʊt/
/fləʊt/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they float | /fləʊt/ /fləʊt/ |
| he / she / it floats | /fləʊts/ /fləʊts/ |
| past simple floated | /ˈfləʊtɪd/ /ˈfləʊtɪd/ |
| past participle floated | /ˈfləʊtɪd/ /ˈfləʊtɪd/ |
| -ing form floating | /ˈfləʊtɪŋ/ /ˈfləʊtɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. to move slowly on water or in the air
浮动；漂流；飘动；飘移 - A group of swans floated by.
一群天鹅缓缓游过。 - The smell of new bread floated up from the kitchen.
厨房里飘出新鲜面包的香味。 - Beautiful music came floating out of the window.
美妙的乐声从窗口传出。 - The boats were floating gently down the river.
小船顺河悠悠漂下。 - Add the gnocchi and cook until they float to the surface.
加入面疙瘩并煮至它们浮到表面。 - (figurative) People seem to float in and out of my life.
不同的人在我的生命中出现和消失。
Extra ExamplesTopics Transport by waterb2- A few small clouds floated across the sky.
几小片云彩飘过天空。 - Her voice seemed to float on the water as gently as a slight mist.
她的声音那么温柔，就好像薄雾轻轻浮在水面一般。 - In the dream my feet leave the ground and I start to float upwards.
在梦里 ，我双脚离开地面开始往上飘。 - (figurative) An idea suddenly floated into my mind.
我的脑海里突然浮现出一个想法。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gently
- slowly
- downstream
- …
- seem to
- across
- down
- in
- …
- A group of swans floated by.
- [intransitive] to stay on or near the surface of a liquid and not sink
浮；漂浮 - Wood floats.
木头能浮起来。 - Much of the bay is covered by floating sea ice.
海湾的大部分地区都被漂浮的海冰覆盖。 - float in something She relaxed, floating gently in the water.
她放松身体，缓缓地漂浮在水中。 - float on something A plastic bag was floating on the water.
一个塑料袋在水中漂浮。
Extra ExamplesTopics Transport by waterb2- We tried to make a raft but it wouldn't float.
我们设法做了一只筏子，但它浮不起来。 - Vast masses of frogspawn floated just beneath the surface.
大量的蛙卵漂浮在水面之下。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gently
- slowly
- downstream
- …
- seem to
- across
- down
- in
- …
- Wood floats.
- [transitive] to make something move on or near the surface of a liquid
使浮动；使漂流 - float something There wasn't enough water to float the ship.
水不够深，船浮动不起来。 - float something + adv./prep. They float the logs down the river to the towns.
他们把原木沿河漂运至城镇。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gently
- slowly
- downstream
- …
- seem to
- across
- down
- in
- …
- float something There wasn't enough water to float the ship.
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. (literary) to walk or move in a smooth and easy way
轻盈走动；飘然移动 - She floated down the steps to greet us.
她轻盈地下楼来迎接我们。 - The couple floated across the dance floor.
这对情侣飘过舞池。
- She floated down the steps to greet us.
- [transitive] float something to suggest an idea or a plan for other people to consider
提出，提请考虑（想法或计划） - They floated the idea of increased taxes on alcohol.
他们建议提高酒税。
- They floated the idea of increased taxes on alcohol.
- [transitive] float something (business) to sell shares in a company or business to the public for the first time
（公司或企业）首次公开发行（股票），使上市 - The company was floated on the stock market in 2014.
这家公司于 2014 年上市。 - Shares were floated at 585p.
股票最初上市价为 5 英镑 85 便士。
- The company was floated on the stock market in 2014.
- [transitive, intransitive] float (something) (economics) if a government floats its country’s money or allows it to float, it allows its value to change freely according to the value of the money of other countries
（使货币汇率）自由浮动 - The government decided to allow the peso to float freely.
政府决定让比索自由浮动。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- freely
- allow something to
- The government decided to allow the peso to float freely.
on water/in air
walk lightly
suggest idea
business/economics
Word OriginOld English flotian (verb), of Germanic origin and related to fleet ‘move or pass quickly’, reinforced in Middle English by Old French floter, also from Germanic.
Idioms
float somebody’s boat
- (informal) to be what somebody likes
为某人所喜欢 - You can listen to whatever kind of music floats your boat.
无论你喜欢哪种音乐，你都可以听。
- You can listen to whatever kind of music floats your boat.
float/walk on air
- to feel very happy
欢天喜地；得意扬扬 - Most couples feel they are walking on air on their wedding day.
大多数夫妇在婚礼当天都感觉如履薄冰。
- Most couples feel they are walking on air on their wedding day.