floor
Americannoun
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that part of a room, hallway, or the like, that forms its lower enclosing surface and upon which one walks.
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a continuous, supporting surface extending horizontally throughout a building, having a number of rooms, apartments, or the like, and constituting one level or stage in the structure; story.
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a level, supporting surface in any structure.
the elevator floor.
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one of two or more layers of material composing a floor.
rough floor; finish floor.
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a platform or prepared level area for a particular use.
a threshing floor.
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the bottom of any more or less hollow place.
the floor of a tunnel.
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a more or less flat extent of surface.
the floor of the ocean.
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the part of a legislative chamber, meeting room, etc., where the members sit, and from which they speak.
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the right of one member to speak from such a place in preference to other members.
The senator from Alaska has the floor.
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the area of a floor, as in a factory or retail store, where items are actually made or sold, as opposed to offices, supply areas, etc..
There are only two salesclerks on the floor.
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the main part of a stock or commodity exchange or the like, as distinguished from the galleries, platform, etc.
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the bottom, base, or minimum charged, demanded, or paid.
The government avoided establishing a price or wage floor.
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Mining. an underlying stratum, as of ore, usually flat.
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Nautical.
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the bottom of a hull.
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any of a number of deep, transverse framing members at the bottom of a steel or iron hull, generally interrupted by and joined to any vertical keel or keelsons.
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the lowermost member of a frame in a wooden vessel.
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verb (used with object)
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to cover or furnish with a floor.
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to bring down to the floor or ground; knock down.
He floored his opponent with one blow.
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to overwhelm; defeat.
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to confound or puzzle; nonplus.
I was floored by the problem.
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Also to push (a foot-operated accelerator pedal) all the way down to the floor of a vehicle, for maximum speed or power.
idioms
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mop / wipe the floor with, to overwhelm completely; defeat.
He expected to mop the floor with his opponents.
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take the floor, to arise to address a meeting.
noun
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Also called: flooring. the inner lower surface of a room
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a storey of a building
the second floor
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a flat bottom surface in or on any structure
the floor of a lift
a dance floor
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the bottom surface of a tunnel, cave, river, sea, etc
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mining an underlying stratum
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nautical the bottom, or the lowermost framing members at the bottom, of a vessel
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that part of a legislative hall in which debate and other business is conducted
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the right to speak in a legislative or deliberative body (esp in the phrases get, have, or be given the floor )
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the room in a stock exchange where trading takes place
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the earth; ground
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a minimum price charged or paid
a wage floor
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to begin dancing on a dance floor
verb
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to cover with or construct a floor
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(tr) to knock to the floor or ground
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informal (tr) to disconcert, confound, or defeat
to be floored by a problem
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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floorsimple
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floorssimple
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have flooredperfect
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has flooredperfect
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am flooringprogressive
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are flooringprogressive
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is flooringprogressive
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have been flooringperfect progressive
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has been flooringperfect progressive
Past
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flooredsimple
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had flooredperfect
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was flooringprogressive
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were flooringprogressive
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had been flooringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of floor
First recorded before 900; from Middle English flor, Old English flōr; cognate with Old Norse flōr, Middle Low German vlōr, Middle High German vluor ( German Flur )
Explanation
A floor is the surface at the very bottom, or base, of a room. When you lie on your back on the floor, you are looking up at the ceiling. Your living room floor might be covered with carpet, while the floor of your tent is probably canvas or nylon. While a floor is the bottom of a structure, it's also the lowest surface of the ocean: "Crabs scuttle across the ocean floor." If you live in a dorm or stay in a hotel, your floor is the level of the building where your room is located. Informally, if something floors you, it confounds or confuses you.
Vocabulary lists containing floor
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As he approached, Trujillo accidentally kicked over a glass of water on the marble floor, but Franco and his wife didn’t stir.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The cracked beams at 222 Broadway were also located on a newly built top floor: The 32nd story was added to support the rooftop pool deck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
To track this daily movement, UBC researchers Drs. Philip Matthews and Evan McKenzie placed a sonar system on the lake floor.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
"The cats are alright -- they are in the house and have things to eat. I left it all for them. The only thing is that the floor will be dirty."
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Clare set his cup on the floor, then leaned his forearms on his knobby black knees.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Mosaic tile lettering on the floors marking each apartment number is a recreation of the originals.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Hardwood floors run throughout the property, including in the bedrooms, save for the entryway which features a terracotta tile and a wrought iron staircase leading up to the second level.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Households in India have long relied on an informal army of domestic workers to mop floors, wash dishes and cook meals.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Now he anticipates removing drywall and ripping out the floors entirely.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
They’d also operate the elevators, ferrying people up and down the six floors.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Referring to the synthetic soldier, Justine Moore, an AI-focused partner at Silicon Valley investor Andreessen Horowitz, wrote on X: "I'm genuinely floored by how many dudes are following influencers that are clearly AI."
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
Having said all that, many of us were instantly floored by Ronald Moore’s reinterpretation of ABC’s 1978 prime-time space saga, and still point to it as one of TV’s strongest political and social parables.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
After his mother died in 2019, Obrist was floored to discover he had unknowingly influenced her to create art.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Caroline Dubois floored and bloodied Terri Harper before outpointing her British rival to become the unified lightweight world champion at London's Olympia.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026
The lobby was huge, marble floored, and echoing with excited chatter from all the students and exhibitors.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
In the garage, Wallace discovered gym-style rubber flooring that had linear cuts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Airy and light, the decor is both California and traditional in style, with French doors in the living room, multiple fireplaces, and warm wood flooring throughout.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
But there are still major problems, including uneven flooring, and they are now desperate to move out of their once-beloved home and into sheltered accommodation.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
National Park Service crews dumped hydrogen peroxide into the water last week and then pieces of the new flooring started breaking loose as crews began vacuuming the pool floor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Another pile of garbage bags sits in front of the sink, doing nothing to hide the yellowed linoleum flooring that’s cracked and peeling where it meets the worn brown carpeting of the living room.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
