floor

[ flawr ]

/ flɔr /

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See synonyms for: floor / floored / flooring / floors on Thesaurus.com

noun

that part of a room, hallway, or the like, that forms its lower enclosing surface and upon which one walks.

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.

a level, supporting surface in any structure: the elevator floor.

one of two or more layers of material composing a floor: rough floor; finish floor.

a platform or prepared level area for a particular use: a threshing floor.

the bottom of any more or less hollow place: the floor of a tunnel.

a more or less flat extent of surface: the floor of the ocean.

the part of a legislative chamber, meeting room, etc., where the members sit, and from which they speak.

the right of one member to speak from such a place in preference to other members: The senator from Alaska has the floor.

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.

the main part of a stock or commodity exchange or the like, as distinguished from the galleries, platform, etc.

the bottom, base, or minimum charged, demanded, or paid: The government avoided establishing a price or wage floor.

Mining. an underlying stratum, as of ore, usually flat.

Nautical.

the bottom of a hull.
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.
the lowermost member of a frame in a wooden vessel.

verb (used with object)

to cover or furnish with a floor.

to bring down to the floor or ground; knock down:He floored his opponent with one blow.

to overwhelm; defeat.

to confound or puzzle; nonplus: I was floored by the problem.

Also floorboard. to push (a foot-operated accelerator pedal) all the way down to the floor of a vehicle, for maximum speed or power.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about floor

mop / wipe the floor with, Informal. to overwhelm completely; defeat: He expected to mop the floor with his opponents.

take the floor, to arise to address a meeting.

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 )

OTHER WORDS FROM floor

floor·less, adjectiveun·der·floor, nounun·floor, verb (used with object)

Words nearby floor

flood tide, flood wall, floodwater, floodway, flooey, floor, floorage, floorboard, floor broker, floorcloth, floorcover

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use floor in a sentence

Finally, installing data centers on the ocean floor is, surprisingly, much faster than building them on land.
Microsoft Had a Crazy Idea to Put Servers Under Water—and It Totally Worked|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|September 17, 2020|Singularity Hub
At home, many kids have more freedom to lie on the floor, pace around, move to another room or take breaks as needed.
Healthy screen time is one challenge of distance learning|Kathryn Hulick|September 11, 2020|Science News For Students
The guy is swatting layups every other time down the floor, it seems.
We Could Have Watched Raptors-Celtics Game 6 All Day|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 10, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
I think we’ve really reset our floor for what monthly success and targets look like.
‘We’ve really reset our floor’: How The Atlantic gained 300,000 new subscribers in the past 12 months|Max Willens|September 10, 2020|Digiday

Westbrook’s poor shooting and inability to space the floor can grind Houston’s offense to a halt.
The Rockets’ New Starting Lineup Is Just Scratching The Surface Of Its Potential|Michael Pina|September 8, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
It was a Senate floor soap opera over none other than a soap-opera producer.
U.S. Embassies Have Always Been for Sale|William O’Connor|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
When I saw the fire in the restaurant, I ran down to the floor below, where I was trapped between flames above and below.
‘We’re Going to Die’: Survivors Recount Greek Ferry Fire Horror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Twin girls, Greta and Grace, run around the floor in circles, wearing pink playsuits with tiny pink wings attached.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, most of the suffering species ate insects on the forest floor.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its beautifully aged wooden exterior houses traditional floor seating and beautiful gardens typical of the area.
Inside The World’s 10 Oldest Restaurants|Justin Jones|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She looked so sweet when she said it, standing and smiling there in the middle of the floor, the door-way making a frame for her.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
The inner ends of the burrows were enlarged with a depression in the floor, where the eggs were laid.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula|Erwin E. Klaas
Her feet felt rooted to the floor in the wonder and doubt of this strange occurrence.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Last night I saw Jean Baptiste lying prone upon the floor, and knew that she had beaten him down to it, and he had not resisted.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
Several able speakers had made long addresses in support of the bill when one Mr. Morrisett, from Monroe, took the floor.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various

British Dictionary definitions for floor

floor

/ (flɔː) /

noun

Also called: flooring the inner lower surface of a room

a storey of a buildingthe second floor

a flat bottom surface in or on any structurethe floor of a lift; a dance floor

the bottom surface of a tunnel, cave, river, sea, etc

mining an underlying stratum

nautical the bottom, or the lowermost framing members at the bottom, of a vessel

that part of a legislative hall in which debate and other business is conducted

the right to speak in a legislative or deliberative body (esp in the phrases get, have, or be given the floor)

the room in a stock exchange where trading takes place

the earth; ground

a minimum price charged or paida wage floor

take the floor to begin dancing on a dance floor

verb

to cover with or construct a floor

(tr) to knock to the floor or ground

(tr) informal to disconcert, confound, or defeatto be floored by a problem

Word Origin for floor

Old English flōr; related to Old Norse flōrr, Middle Low German vlōr floor, Latin plānus level, Greek planan to cause to wander

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with floor

floor

see ground floor; mop up the floor with; sink through the floor; take the floor; walk the floor.

floor

Idioms about floor

Origin of floor

OTHER WORDS FROM floor

Words nearby floor

Words related to floor

How to use floor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for floor

Word Origin for floor

Other Idioms and Phrases with floor