Buoying

Nautical. a distinctively shaped and marked float, sometimes carrying a signal or signals, anchored to mark a channel, anchorage, navigational hazard, etc., or to provide a mooring place away from the shore.
a life buoy.
to keep afloat or support by or as if by a life buoy; keep from sinking (often followed by up):
The life jacket buoyed her up until help arrived.
Nautical. to mark with a buoy or buoys.
to sustain or encourage (often followed by up):
Her courage was buoyed by the doctor’s assurances.
to float or rise by reason of lightness.
Contemporary Examples

Elizabeth Edwards’ Final Days Margaret Carlson December 6, 2010

Historical Examples

The Angel Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
The Million-Dollar Suitcase Alice MacGowan
Gargoyles Ben Hecht
The Story of The Atlantic Cable Charles Bright
McClure’s Magazine December, 1895 Edited by Ida M. Tarbell
The Crystal Hunters George Manville Fenn
The Boys of 1812 and Other Naval Heroes James Russell Soley
The Maroon Mayne Reid
Complete Prose Works Walt Whitman

noun
a distinctively shaped and coloured float, anchored to the bottom, for designating moorings, navigable channels, or obstructions in a body of water See also life buoy
verb
(transitive) usually foll by up. to prevent from sinking: the belt buoyed him up
(transitive) usually foll by up. to raise the spirits of; hearten
(transitive) (nautical) to mark (a channel or obstruction) with a buoy or buoys
(intransitive) to rise to the surface
n.
v.