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
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
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
If the minority party wants to block legislation, its senators should be forced to hold the floor to continue debate.
—WSJ, 19 Apr. 2021
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
But Manchin seems primarily interested in restoring the filibuster of popular imagination—requiring the filibustering minority to hold the floor continuously with long speeches.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021
The bolts that hold the floor to the chassis were improperly tightened.
—Detroit Free Press, 5 June 2021
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Krista Stevens, Longreads, 2 July 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
If the minority party wants to block legislation, its senators should be forced to hold the floor to continue debate.
—WSJ, 19 Apr. 2021
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
But Manchin seems primarily interested in restoring the filibuster of popular imagination—requiring the filibustering minority to hold the floor continuously with long speeches.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021
The bolts that hold the floor to the chassis were improperly tightened.
—Detroit Free Press, 5 June 2021
Cite this Entry
“Hold the floor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20the%20floor. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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