/floh"teuhr/ , n.
1. a person or thing that floats.
2. Informal. a person who is continually changing his or her place of abode, employment, etc.
3. U.S. Politics. a voter not attached to any party, esp. a person whose vote may be purchased.
4. a person who fraudulently votes, usually for pay, in different places in the same election.
5. Animal Behav. a territorial animal that has been unable to claim a territory and is forced into undefended, marginal areas with limited resources.
6. a speck or string that appears to be drifting across the eye just outside the line of vision, caused by cells or cell fragments in the vitreous humor registering on the retina; musca volitans.
7. Also called floating policy . Insurance. a policy that insures movable personal property.
8. Finance. any security or note that has a floating rate.
9. Med. Slang. a corpse found floating in a body of water.
10. Australian. a meat pie served in a plate of gravy or pea soup.
[ 1710-20; FLOAT + -ER 1 ]