take the floor

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

The eight women celebrities will take the floor Wednesday for their first dances. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Everyone’s spread out with a respective mountain of vending-machine snacks in front of them, each taking their own moment to stare down Oleksa, when Joe takes the floor. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2026

So, in the end, commissioner Cathy Engelbert took the floor to hand over the MVP award, was drowned out in a wave of boos, and everyone left to get on with the rest of the season. — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 26 July 2026

This month, Watkins and Davidson finally were able to take the floor together, just as Gottlieb had envisioned. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for take the floor

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