hold the floor
idiom
: to be the person who is speaking at a public meeting
The senator held the floor for several hours.
Examples of hold the floor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Members no longer need to hold the floor and talk nonstop, testing not just the power of their argument but their physical mettle and bladder control.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 3 Jan. 2026
If the majority enforced the procedures as written, the minority would have to hold the floor.
—Jeremy Dalrymple, Oc Register, 2 Dec. 2025
The Senate could vote for the 12th time on the short-term, clean funding bill that was passed by the House, but no votes can be called as long as Merkley holds the floor.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025
Merkley has long advocated for requiring senators to actively hold the floor to block a bill.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 2 June 2025
Those slivers came from the fasteners that hold the floor in place, which meant they would be scattered in the wiring of other planes, too.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 2 July 2024
Senate Democrats began the filibuster Monday afternoon and continued to hold the floor for more than 22 hours into Tuesday afternoon.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2024
Instead of integrating further, the region fragmented into competing multilateral blocs defined and divided by ideology—none powerful enough, on its own, to hold the floor internationally.
—Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2023
Under current rules, senators don’t need to talk, or even hold the floor, to stop a bill from advancing.
—Siobhan Hughes, WSJ, 20 Jan. 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 3 Jan. 2026
If the majority enforced the procedures as written, the minority would have to hold the floor.
—Jeremy Dalrymple, Oc Register, 2 Dec. 2025
The Senate could vote for the 12th time on the short-term, clean funding bill that was passed by the House, but no votes can be called as long as Merkley holds the floor.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025
Merkley has long advocated for requiring senators to actively hold the floor to block a bill.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 2 June 2025
Those slivers came from the fasteners that hold the floor in place, which meant they would be scattered in the wiring of other planes, too.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 2 July 2024
Senate Democrats began the filibuster Monday afternoon and continued to hold the floor for more than 22 hours into Tuesday afternoon.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2024
Instead of integrating further, the region fragmented into competing multilateral blocs defined and divided by ideology—none powerful enough, on its own, to hold the floor internationally.
—Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2023
Under current rules, senators don’t need to talk, or even hold the floor, to stop a bill from advancing.
—Siobhan Hughes, WSJ, 20 Jan. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Hold the floor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20the%20floor. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
