second floor

American  

noun

1. the floor or story above the ground floor.

2. (in Britain and elsewhere outside the U.S.) the second story completely above ground level.

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second floor British  

noun

1. US and Canadian term: third floor.  the storey of a building immediately above the first and two floors up from the ground

2. British equivalent: first floor.  the floor or storey of a building immediately above the ground floor

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Etymology

Origin of second floor

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

My friend Joseph Lee has his painting studio on the second floor of a strip mall plaza, his half-squeezed tubes of paint line the walls from end to end.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

As part of the reboot, it moved cosmetics and fragrances from the ground floor, where they had resided since the store opened, to the second floor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

But a conversation on the second floor hinted at financial troubles at one of America's most iconic luxury department stores.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

She said she’d like to find a new apartment because the partly subsidized unit she’s been living in for 26 years has no elevator and she’s on the second floor.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

The stuffy heat of the second floor enveloped us on the landing.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu