TAKING THE FLOOR Synonyms: 19 Similar Words

taking the floor

phrase

present participle of take the floor

as in speaking

to give a formal often extended talk on a subject The senator took the floor to talk about international relations.

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holding forth

Phrase

The members of the second clan, meanwhile, can’t be relied on to dance or to wear clothes well—just look at the images of Wilson on the beach at Truro, holding forth in a dress shirt.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Porter sketched Trotsky holding forth at a conference table, proselytizing to the American bureaucrats.

— Dan Chiasson, The New York Review of Books, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of holding forth

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“Taking the floor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20the%20floor. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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