verb
levitate
LEV-ih-tayt/ˈlevɪteɪt/
To rise or float, or cause something to float, in the air without apparent support.
The stone appears to levitate above the table.
Etymology
Lightness here originally explained upward motion: to levitate was to rise by virtue of being light. That image underlies the sense of rising or floating without visible support.
In context
aerospace engineer Ron Evans started to wonder if he could use anti-gravity to levitate a plane. It could fly anywhere. Into space, even into water.
More examples
- The experiment uses magnets to levitate a small object.
- In the story, she can levitate without wings.
- The audience watches the table seemingly levitating in midair.
Forms
levitate · levitates · levitated · levitating
Similar words
- float
- Can involve support from liquid or air without an illusion of unsupported suspension.
- hover
- Hover stays suspended in one place; levitate emphasizes rising or floating without visible support.