floor

[ flawr ]
See synonyms for: floorflooredflooringfloors on Thesaurus.com

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

  2. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  8. 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.

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

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

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

  12. 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)
  1. to cover or furnish with a floor.

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

  1. to overwhelm; defeat.

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

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

Idioms about floor

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

  2. take the floor, to arise to address a meeting.

Origin of floor

1
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, adjective
  • un·der·floor, noun
  • un·floor, verb (used with object)

Words Nearby floor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use floor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for floor

floor

/ (flɔː) /


noun
  1. Also called: flooring the inner lower surface of a room

  2. a storey of a building: the second floor

  1. a flat bottom surface in or on any structure: the floor of a lift; a dance floor

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

  3. mining an underlying stratum

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

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

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

  7. the room in a stock exchange where trading takes place

  8. the earth; ground

  9. a minimum price charged or paid: a wage floor

  10. take the floor to begin dancing on a dance floor

verb
  1. to cover with or construct a floor

  2. (tr) to knock to the floor or ground

  1. (tr) informal to disconcert, confound, or defeat: to be floored by a problem

Origin of floor

1
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.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.