float

v. stay on the surface of a liquid; drift; vacillate; cause to float, set afloat; flood; hover; establish; sell stock

n. buoy; something that floats; air container on the underside of a seaplane (enables flotation); vehicle for carrying an exhibit in a parade; soft drink or fruit juice with ice cream floating in it; milkshake with ice cream floating in it

Float or floating may refer to the following:FloatFloat, an air-filled vessel such as a boat or ship floats on water; see also BuoyancyPneumatocyst, a gas-filled organ of some seaweedsFloat (fishing), a bite indicator used in anglingFloat (CSS attribute), a Cascading Style Sheets attribute that specifies an element's alignment relative to the elements it precedes.Float, the common name for the IEEE 754 standard for representing floating point numbers in computer scienceFloat (parade), a decorated vehicle or platform, animal- or man-drawn or motorzied, used in a festive paradeFloat (project management), the amount of time that a terminal element in a project network can be delayed by, without causing a delay to: subsequent terminal elements, or project completion dateFloat (money supply), in economics, makes up the smallest part of the money supplyFloat (finance); the free float of a public company is an estimate of proportion of shares that are not held by large owners and that are not stock with sales restrictionsFloat, in insurance, investable policyholder fundsFloat (breakdance move), a balance-intensive breakdance move in which the body is held parallel to the floor while balancing on one or both handsFloat (album), the first major release of rapper Aesop RockFloat, a song by The Music from their 2003 album The MusicValve float, part of an internal combustion engineMilk float, a small battery electric vehicle specifically designed for the delivery of fresh milkRoot beer float, ice cream and root beer mixed togetherFloAts Mobile Agent, an open-source mobile phone management programPlanemaker's Float, a rasp-like woodworking tool having a series of sharp parallel cutting teeth.
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Noun
1. the time interval between the deposit of a check in a bank and its payment
(hypernym) time interval, interval
2. the number of shares outstanding and available for trading by the public
(hypernym) stock
3. a drink with ice cream floating in it
(synonym) ice-cream soda, ice-cream float
(hypernym) drink
(hyponym) root beer float
4. an elaborate display mounted on a platform carried by a truck (or pulled by a truck) in a procession or parade
(hypernym) display, presentation
5. a hand tool with a flat face used for smoothing and finishing the surface of plaster or cement or stucco
(synonym) plasterer's float
(hypernym) hand tool
6. something that remains on the surface of a liquid
(hypernym) artifact, artefact
(hyponym) bob, bobber, cork, bobfloat
Verb
1. be in motion due to some air or water current; "The leaves were blowing in the wind"; "the boat drifted on the lake"; "The sailboat was adrift on the open sea"; "the shipwrecked boat drifted away from the shore"
(synonym) drift, be adrift, blow
(hypernym) travel, go, move, locomote
(hyponym) waft
2. be afloat; stay on a liquid surface; not sink
(synonym) swim
(antonym) sink, settle, go down, go under
(hypernym) travel, go, move, locomote
(hyponym) buoy
(derivation) floating
3. set afloat; "He floated the logs down the river"; "The boy floated his toy boat on the pond"
(hypernym) transport
(hyponym) tide
4. circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with; "The Republicans are floating the idea of a tax reform"
(hypernym) test, prove, try, try out, examine, essay
5. move lightly, as if suspended; "The dancer floated across the stage"
(hypernym) travel, go, move, locomote
(hyponym) ride
(verb-group) drift, be adrift, blow
6. put into the water; "float a ship"
(hypernym) launch
7. make the surface of level or smooth; "float the plaster"
(hypernym) smooth, smoothen
(classification) masonry
8. allow (currencies) to fluctuate; "The government floated the ruble for a few months"
(hypernym) value
9. convert from a fixed point notation to a floating point notation; "float data"
(hypernym) convert, change over

Used in the context of general equities.
Currency: exchange rate policy whereby the authorities do not accept an obligation to limit the range of the market rate.
Equities: number of shares of a corporation that are outstanding and available for trading by the public, excluding insiders or restricted stock on a when issued basis. A stock's volatility is inversely correlated to its Float.

Flatbed semitrailer. (ATA1)