1 [I] to move slowly through air or water （在空气或水里）浮动: The boats were floating gently down the river. 小船顺河悠悠漂下。 The smell of freshly-baked bread floated in through the window. 刚出炉面包的香味从窗子飘进来。

2 [I] float (in/on sth) to stay on the surface of a liquid and not sink 浮；不沉下: Wood floats in water. 木头浮在水上。

3 [T] to sell shares in a company or business for the first time 首次发行公司或企业的股票: The company was floated on the stock market in 2001. 该公司于2001年首次在股票市场发行股票。

4 [I,T] (used in 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 （用于经济学）（使）（汇率）浮动