floater

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

A person who floats. — A person who physically floats in a gas or liquid. — A corpse floating in a body of water.

Register: slang

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

A dock worker saw him floating against a dock pier and called the police. Condition of the body they thought a floater that had been hit by a boat and cut by the prop.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “floater” mean?

A person who floats. — A person who physically floats in a gas or liquid. — A corpse floating in a body of water.

Is “floater” formal or informal?

floater is generally slang.