Phrase guide

whatever floats your boat

phrase · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

phrase

Meaning 1

One should do whatever stimulates one or suits one's inclinations.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: whatever butters your biscuit, whatever butters your biscuits, whatever butters your bread, whatever butters your muffin, whatever butters your toast, whatever humps your camel, whatever melts your butter, whatever sizzles your bacon, whatever tickles your pickle, whatever winds your clock

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

The earliest evidence hints that the phrase originated in the late 1970s among pleasure boaters in the United States.