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to float

1 7.0

To smooth a wall or floor surface with a flat tool

verb
/floʊt/

Specialized

: alisar

To achieve a smooth finish, you should float the surface with a trowel after applying the plaster.

Installing cabinets, cutting granite, putting in flooring, hanging doors, sheetrock tape and floating, priming, sanding.

Examples

Roll down to the mat, float the legs into tabletop.
He used a float tool to float the mortar, ensuring it was impeccably level.
After applying the cement, you need to float it to create a uniform surface for tiling.

Synonyms

to level

vsto float

81 3.7

To make land or a building flat with the ground

focuses on smoothing with a hand tool in plastering rather than broad flattening

to skimcoat

vsto float

Specialized

8.6

Cover a surface with a thin layer of plaster to make it smooth

smooths the surface with a hand tool rather than adding material

Antonyms

to dimple

5 4.1

To make a small rounded dip on a surface

to roughen

2 4.2

To make a surface not smooth so it feels bumpy

Idioms

to float like a butterfly

Informal

1 6.8

To move with light, graceful steps like a butterfly

Phrasal Verbs

to float away

15 3.2

Move slowly through the air or water until out of sight

Compounds

root beer float

4 2.9

A cold drink of root beer with a scoop of ice cream

ice-cream float

1 2.0

A cold drink with ice cream floating in soda

milk float

Archaic

1 3.5

A small vehicle with an open side that delivers milk to homes

Carling float

Specialized

9.9

An emergency raft on a ship for people to use if they must leave at sea

dead-man's float

7.0

A position for floating face down in the water with arms stretched forward to rest and breathe

float-type rain gage

Specialized

7.9

A device with a float that rests on collected rain to measure how much falls

float-type rain gauge

Specialized

7.3

A tool that measures rain using a float on the top of the collected water

prone float

6.7

A way to float by lying face down in the water with arms stretched forward to glide

plasterer's float

Specialized

8.1

A flat hand tool with a handle used to smooth wet wall material like plaster or cement

How Smooth

to polish

46 1.1

to float

Specialized

1 7.0

to level

81 3.7

Surface Forms

float infinitive

floated past

floated past participle

floating present participle

floats third person singular

Etymology

To float a wall means to move a tool over wet plaster to make it level, and this meaning comes from the same idea of gliding that we find in flotan 'to float'. So you 'float' the tool to get a smooth surface.