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
NewsweekAt precisely 6:45 a.m. the rowdiness ceases as Sailor, a union safety expert, takes the floor for his weekly lecture.—Jack Friedman
Jack Friedman2
: 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
Sinclair Lewis3
: 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
John GustafsonExamples of take the floor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Once again Biles’ availability was the primary focus when the eight teams took the floor Tuesday night.
—Scott M. Reid, Orange County Register, 30 July 2024
Clark takes the floor today at the WNBA All-Star game that pits the league stars against Team USA, the women’s basketball team for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
—Bruce Haring, Deadline, 20 July 2024
In that tunnel, away from the gaze of the thousands in attendance, the athletes huddled for one final time before taking the floor.
—Dominic Faria, Ethan Ferguson, Akshat Jain, Annabelle Del Bosque, USA TODAY, 17 July 2024
Vance took the floor after his nomination was announced to greet delegates with his wife, Usha.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 16 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for take the floor 
Scott M. Reid, Orange County Register, 30 July 2024
Clark takes the floor today at the WNBA All-Star game that pits the league stars against Team USA, the women’s basketball team for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
—Bruce Haring, Deadline, 20 July 2024
In that tunnel, away from the gaze of the thousands in attendance, the athletes huddled for one final time before taking the floor.
—Dominic Faria, Ethan Ferguson, Akshat Jain, Annabelle Del Bosque, USA TODAY, 17 July 2024
Vance took the floor after his nomination was announced to greet delegates with his wife, Usha.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 16 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for take the floor
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.
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 18 Aug. 2024.
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