/fləʊt; flot/
v
1 (a) [I, Ipr] stay on or at the surface of a liquid and not sink; be held up in air or gas 漂浮; 飘
*Wood floats (in water). 木头能漂浮（于水面）.
* Try and float on your back. 试试仰浮.
(b) [Ipr] move without resistance in air, water or gas; drift slowly 漂流; 飘动
*A balloon floated across the sky. 有个气球从空中飘过.
* The raft was floating gently down the river. 筏子顺河水缓缓漂流.
* (fig 比喻) Thoughts of lazy summer afternoons floated through his mind. 夏日懒洋洋的下午种种思绪在他脑海里浮想联翩.
2 [Tn, Tn.pr] bring (sth) to the surface of a liquid; cause (sth) to move on liquid or in air 使（某物）漂浮; 使（某物）漂流或飘动
*There wasn't enough water to float the ship. 水不够深, 船浮不起来.
* float a raft of logs down the river 使圆木筏顺河漂下
* We waited for the tide to float the boat off the sandbank. 我们等待涨潮, 让潮水把船浮起离开沙滩.
3 [Tn] suggest (a plan or project); present for acceptance or rejection 提出（计画、方案等）; 交出（以供取舍）
*Let me float a couple of ideas. 让我来谈两三点意见仅供参考.
4 [I, Ipr, Ip] ~ (about/around (sth)) (infml 口) (of a person) move vaguely or aimlessly from place to place; do nothing in particular （指人）游荡, 无所事事
*My weekend was boring I just floated about (the house) or watched TV. 我的周末过得很无聊--只是在屋子里 转转或者看看电视.
5 [Tn] start (a new business company) by selling shares in it to the public （以公开发行股票方式）开办（新公司）.
6 (a) [Tn] allow the foreign exchange values of (a currency) to vary freely according to the value of other international currencies 使（某货币）的对外汇率浮动
*float the pound, dollar, yen, etc 使英镑、美元、日元等的对外汇率浮动.
(b) [I] (of a currency) find its own value in this way （指货币）随汇率浮动.
7 (phr v) float about/around (esp in the continuous tenses 尤用于进行时态)
(a) (of a rumour) be heard or talked about a lot （指传闻）广为流传
*There's a rumour floating around of a new job in the unit. 这个部门盛传有个新工作要聘人.
(b) (of an object) be in an unspecified place （指物品）在未指出的某处
*Have you seen my keys floating about (anywhere)? 你在什么地方见到我的钥匙了吗?

/fləʊt; flot/
n
1 (a) light object made of cork, etc that stays on the surface of a liquid, esp one attached to a fishing-line (to indicate when the bait has been taken) or to a net (to support it in water) 漂浮物; （尤指）鱼漂, 浮子.
(b) light buoyant object that non-swimmers can hold on to while learning to swim 浮板（学游泳用的）.
2 floating hollow ball or other air-filled container, used to control the flow of water, petrol, etc into a tank 浮球（用以控制水、汽油等流量的）.
3 structure that enables an aircraft to float on water 浮筒（使飞行器浮于水面的装置）.
4 (a) lorry, cart or low platform on wheels, used for showing things in a procession （游行时载展品等的）卡车、大车或装有轮子的展台; 花车
*The club display was mounted on a huge float and paraded through the main street. 俱乐部的展品装在大型花车上在大街上通过.
(b) vehicle with a low flat base, used for transporting the thing specified 低矮的平板车
*a milk float 运牛奶的平板车.
5 sum of money used for everyday business expenses or for giving change （企业的）日常零钱.