verb

levitating

LEV-ih-tay-ting

Levitating (verb) means present participle of levitate: rising and floating in the air with no visible means of support. Example: “The magician appeared to be levitating a few inches above the stage.”

verb

Present participle of levitate: rising and floating in the air with no visible means of support.

"The magician appeared to be levitating a few inches above the stage."

"Dust was levitating in the shaft of sunlight."

adjective

Floating in the air; appearing to defy gravity.

"The sculpture uses hidden magnets to create a levitating stone."

How to Use Levitating

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishFloating in mid-air without anything holding you up.

When to use it

Neutral; used in physics and engineering as well as in descriptions of magic and the paranormal.

Memory tip

Levitate is usually intransitive ("she levitated"), but can take an object when someone causes the floating ("he levitated the table").

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

floating → hovering → gravitating

Common pairings

levitating above the ground magnetically levitating appeared to be levitating

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The magician appeared to be _____ a few inches above the stage.

Etymology

From Latin levis, meaning "light" (in weight), with the verb formed on the pattern of gravitate.

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

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floating hovering rising hanging in the air

Antonyms

sinking falling

Related Words

rose flying increasing rising emerging floating upwards downward

Rhymes for levitating

mating rating eating dating hating heating grating stating beating coating skating seating

See all rhymes for levitating →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between levitating and floating?

Floating can happen in any medium, including water, and usually implies support from the liquid or gas around the object. Levitating specifically means being suspended in the air without visible support, and carries a suggestion of the supernatural or of hidden technology such as magnets.

Can a person actually levitate?

There is no scientific evidence that a person can rise into the air unaided. Stage levitation is achieved with concealed rigs and misdirection, and laboratory levitation of small objects uses magnetic fields, sound waves or air jets.

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