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

Because the team that took the floor over the first five months of the season rarely looked like the one that trounced the Lakers. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2025

The Grizzlies’ star has been dealing with ankle injury, but has been getting treatment to take the floor. —Nick Crain, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025

Here are some of the top moments from Booker's speech Booker took the floor Monday night with an urgent appeal. —Sareen Habeshian, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025

Two of the country’s most efficient offenses take the floor for Round 2 of March Madness. —Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 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