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 Arizona State took the floor looking for a bounce-back game after losing for the first time at Desert Financial Arena on Wednesday in controversial, and disappointing, fashion. Michelle Gardner, The Arizona Republic, 20 Jan. 2024 Center Isaiah Jackson had seven, and everyone who took the floor grabbed at least one. Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Jan. 2024 The Badgers took the floor Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center against Rutgers, the last-place team in the Big Ten that has been playing short-handed due to injuries. Journal Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2024 Such cumulative standings essentially reward top programs for sustained excellence, and does nothing to help determine the greatest teams ever to take the floor. Dave Skretta, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024 Next Up Game On Sunday afternoon ahead of the marquee event that night, some of the best G League talent will take the floor for its own all-star game. Nick Crain, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 Of the 14 players who took the floor, all but one had at least one assist and nine had at least two. Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Jan. 2024 After Al Jaber finished his speech, Samoa’s Anne Rasmussen, a lead negotiator for a group of 39 small island states that form a powerful bloc at COPs, took the floor. Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2023 Opposition parliamentarians regularly pile up chairs, use flares, start small fires, and even physically grab microphones when their Socialist counterparts take the floor. Llazar Semini, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take the floor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of take the floor was in 1794

Dictionary Entries Near take the floor

Cite this Entry

“Take the floor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20the%20floor. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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