hold the floor
idiom
: to be the person who is speaking at a public meeting
The senator held the floor for several hours.
Examples of hold the floor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Merkley has long advocated for requiring senators to actively hold the floor to block a bill.
—
Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 2 June 2025
Those slivers came from the fasteners that hold the floor in place, which meant they would be scattered in the wiring of other planes, too.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 2 July 2024
Senate Democrats began the filibuster Monday afternoon and continued to hold the floor for more than 22 hours into Tuesday afternoon.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2024
Instead of integrating further, the region fragmented into competing multilateral blocs defined and divided by ideology—none powerful enough, on its own, to hold the floor internationally.
—Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2023
Under current rules, senators don’t need to talk, or even hold the floor, to stop a bill from advancing.
—Siobhan Hughes, WSJ, 20 Jan. 2022
Klobuchar echoed that sentiment, noting Manchin has backed the idea of requiring senators to speak and hold the floor to conduct filibusters, rather than simply filing their opposition to legislation.
—Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2021
Filibuster rules in the Texas Senate require a senator to hold the floor by standing and speaking constantly.
—Dallas News, 12 Aug. 2021
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Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 2 June 2025
Those slivers came from the fasteners that hold the floor in place, which meant they would be scattered in the wiring of other planes, too.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 2 July 2024
Senate Democrats began the filibuster Monday afternoon and continued to hold the floor for more than 22 hours into Tuesday afternoon.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2024
Instead of integrating further, the region fragmented into competing multilateral blocs defined and divided by ideology—none powerful enough, on its own, to hold the floor internationally.
—Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2023
Under current rules, senators don’t need to talk, or even hold the floor, to stop a bill from advancing.
—Siobhan Hughes, WSJ, 20 Jan. 2022
Klobuchar echoed that sentiment, noting Manchin has backed the idea of requiring senators to speak and hold the floor to conduct filibusters, rather than simply filing their opposition to legislation.
—Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2021
Filibuster rules in the Texas Senate require a senator to hold the floor by standing and speaking constantly.
—Dallas News, 12 Aug. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Hold the floor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20the%20floor. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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