take the floor

idiomatic phrase

1

: to rise (as in a meeting or a legislative assembly) to begin speaking to a group

With Lott and Gramm staring at him as he took the floor during debate, McCain called the bill "seriously skewed," but said he would vote for it.

—Newsweek

At precisely 6:45 a.m. the rowdiness ceases as Sailor, a union safety expert, takes the floor for his weekly lecture.

—Jack Friedman

2

: to go out onto a dance floor to begin dancing

Several couples took the floor.

… the younger people took the floor, and all the elders sneaked back to their chairs …

—Sinclair Lewis

3

: to go out onto a basketball court to begin playing

Phillips hopes the scouts notice his quickness, his vision, … the way he changes the flow of a game as soon as he takes the floor.

—John Gustafson

Examples of take the floor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Several of the most intriguing players on the Thunder’s NBA Summer League roster won’t be taking the floor due to injury. —Nick Crain, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025

Senators will then move on to the other amendments. 09:40 AM EDT Schumer accuses GOP of using 'fake math... to hide the true cost of the bill' Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer has now taken the floor ahead of the vote, to argue against the Big, Beautiful Bill. —Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025

This was the team’s first opportunity to take the floor against opposing rosters and put their work to the test. —Nick Crain, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024

That’s Not My Name, taking the floor with E. Patrick Johnson, Dean of the School of Communication and Annenberg University Professor at Northwestern, and running down from the stage to high five graduates as they, as well as faculty on stage, moved to the beat. —Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for take the floor

• conquistador
• forevermore
• hereinbefore
• kinetochore
• kwashiorkor
• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• backdoor