floater

/floater/
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Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Noun:
    • An insurance policy covering loss of movable property regardless of its location: A type of insurance, often for valuable items like jewelry, that provides coverage no matter where the item is.
    • An object that floats or is capable of floating: Any item that rests on the surface of a liquid or is buoyant.
    • A swimmer who floats in the water: A person who can stay on the water's surface with little effort.
    • A voter who votes illegally at different polling places in the same election: An individual who commits voter fraud by casting ballots in multiple locations.
    • An employee who is reassigned from job to job as needed: A worker without a fixed position, used flexibly across different tasks or departments.
    • A wanderer with no established residence or visible means of support: A person who drifts from place to place without a permanent home or obvious income.
    • A debt instrument with a variable interest rate tied to another interest rate: A financial security, like a bond or loan, whose interest rate changes based on a benchmark rate.
    • Spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor: Small, shadowy shapes that appear to drift in one's field of vision, caused by tiny clumps in the eye's gel-like fluid.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • We added a floater to our policy to cover her engagement ring while traveling. (Insurance policy)
    • The child's toy boat was a bright yellow floater. (Floating object)
    • As a good floater, he could relax on his back for long periods. (Swimmer)
    • Authorities investigated the man as a potential floater in the election. (Illegal voter)
    • The company uses a floater to fill in for receptionists and data entry clerks. (Flexible employee)
    • He lived as a floater, moving from one city to the next. (Wanderer)
    • The bank offered a floater whose rate was pegged to the LIBOR. (Debt instrument)
    • She went to the optometrist because she was seeing floaters in her left eye. (Eye spots)
Advanced Usage
  • "Floater" in sports: In some team sports like basketball or soccer, a "floater" can refer to a specific type of shot or kick that is lofted softly over defenders.
    • The guard made a beautiful floater over the center to score.
  • "Floater" in business (informal): Can refer to a check that is written with the expectation that funds will be deposited before it clears the bank.
    • He wrote a floater, hoping his paycheck would arrive in time.
Variants and Related Words
  • Float (verb): To rest or move on the surface of a liquid; to move lightly or freely.
  • Floating (adjective): Buoyant on a liquid; not fixed in one place.
  • Non-floater (noun): Opposite term, often for a fixed-rate financial instrument or a permanent employee.
Synonyms
  • Insurance rider (for the insurance meaning).
  • Buoy (for a floating object).
  • Drifter, transient, vagrant (for a wanderer).
  • Temporary worker, utility player (for a flexible employee).
  • Muscae volitantes (medical term for eye floaters).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
  • To float an idea: To suggest an idea tentatively to gauge reaction.
    • He floated the idea of a four-day workweek at the meeting.
  • To float a company: To launch a company on the stock market.
    • The tech startup plans to float next year.
Related Idioms
  • "Floater in the toilet" (vulgar slang): A piece of feces that remains visible in the toilet bowl after flushing.
  • "To be a floater": To have a social role where one moves between different groups.
    • In high school, she was a floater, friends with everyone.
Noun
  1. an insurance policy covering loss of movable property (e.g. jewelry) regardless of its location
  2. an object that floats or is capable of floating
  3. a swimmer who floats in the water
  4. a voter who votes illegally at different polling places in the same election
  5. an employee who is reassigned from job to job as needed
  6. a wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support
  7. a debt instrument with a variable interest rate tied to some other interest rate (e.g. the rate paid by T-bills)
  8. spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor and lens
    • floaters seem to drift through the field of vision