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
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
Launching one meant senators had to hold the floor, talking continuously.
—Editorial Board, Star Tribune, 28 Mar. 2021
Such a rule would require opponents to hold the floor with endless speeches but would maintain the 60-vote threshold.
—Susan Ferrechio, Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2021
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
Launching one meant senators had to hold the floor, talking continuously.
—Editorial Board, Star Tribune, 28 Mar. 2021
Such a rule would require opponents to hold the floor with endless speeches but would maintain the 60-vote threshold.
—Susan Ferrechio, Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hold the floor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hold the floor
Cite this Entry
“Hold the floor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20the%20floor. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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