take the floor

Idioms  

1. Rise to speak formally to an assembled group, as in After that long introduction, the treasurer took the floor. This idiom uses floor in the sense of “right to speak,” in turn derived from its meaning as the part of the legislature from which members address the group. [c. 1800]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

take the floor

Rather, Merkley would eliminate what’s come to be called “the silent filibuster” and force lawmakers to actually take the floor and publicly press their case until they prevail, give up or physically give out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025

As the Wizards head into the All-Star break, Sheppard is right that Beal, Kuzma and Porzingis haven’t been able to consistently take the floor together.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 16, 2023

But a swirling cloud of suspicion surrounds Santos, just as he is poised to take the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, to swear to serve Constitution and country.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 1, 2023

Their athletic director will then take the floor before BYU volleyball’s next home game, with a microphone in his right hand and small piece of blue paper in his left.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 29, 2022

He called me to his seat and suggested that at the reassembling of the Assembly after luncheon I should take the floor to move that the bill be placed on the first-reading file.

From A Backward Glance at Eighty Recollections & comment by Murdock, Charles A. (Charles Albert)

Related Words

• call
• discuss
• talk