Definition

Noun: A basic swimming or floating position in which a person lies face down in the water with arms extended forward, typically used for rest or learning to float.

Usage

This term specifically describes a static floating technique. It is often taught to beginner swimmers as a fundamental skill for building water confidence and understanding buoyancy. * The swimming instructor taught the children the dead-man's float before moving on to kicking drills. * To conserve energy, he assumed a dead-man's float and drifted for a few moments.

Advanced Usage

• The term is sometimes used metaphorically to describe a state of complete stillness or surrender, though this is less common.
  • After the exhausting news, he lay on the bed in a dead-man's float, unable to move.

Variants and Related Words

• Prone Float: A more technical or formal synonym for the same swimming position.
• Jellyfish Float: A similar beginner's float where the body hangs limp, with face in the water and limbs dangling down.

Synonyms

• Prone float

Notes

• The name originates from the still, face-down posture resembling a floating body. It is a standard term in swimming instruction, despite its morbid connotation.
• It is primarily a noun and is typically used with the definite article "the" (e.g., ).

Noun

1. a floating position with the face down and arms stretched forward