To levitate means to rise and float in the air without any visible support. When something levitates, it hovers above the ground as if gravity has loosened its grip, like a magician appearing to make a person float several feet off the floor.

In science fiction and fantasy stories, wizards and superheroes often levitate objects or themselves through magical powers. But levitation also happens in real science. Maglev trains in Japan and China use powerful magnets to levitate inches above their tracks, eliminating friction and allowing them to travel over 300 miles per hour. Scientists can levitate small objects using sound waves, magnetic fields, or even intense beams of light, though these techniques work only under carefully controlled conditions.

When street performers appear to levitate while sitting cross-legged in mid-air, they're creating an illusion. There's always a hidden support, even if our eyes can't spot it.