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

Brunson, who recently came back from a significant right ankle sprain, is set to start and take the floor on Tuesday for what will be his 63rd appearance of the season. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025

Booker, the No. 4 Democrat in the Senate, took the floor at 7 p.m. EDT Monday and spoke for 25 hours and 5 minutes, finally yielding the floor at 8:05 p.m. Tuesday. —Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 2 Apr. 2025

When Michigan takes the floor against UC San Diego on Thursday at 10pm, the Tritons will probably be focused on the Wolverines' star 7-footers, Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf. —Joe Guillen, Axios, 20 Mar. 2025

When the Charlotte Hornets took the floor at Spectrum Center on Tuesday night, back home for the first time in more than a week following another taxing road trip, two of their key players weren’t in uniform. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 19 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