floor

noun (OPEN SPACE)

/flɔːr/

Definition

B1 [C usually singular] a public space for activities such as dancing and having formal discussions: a dance floor The new proposal will be discussed on the floor of the House of Commons (= in Parliament) tomorrow. He spent several years working on the factory floor (= in the factory) before becoming a manager. The chairman said that he would now take questions from the floor (= from the audience).Space - general wordsAreas of land in general have the floor › to have the right to speak: Silence, please, the prime minister has the floor.Saying and utteringSaying againLecturing and addressing take (to) the floor › to stand and begin to dance: The newlyweds were the first to take the floor.Dance and choreography in general take the floor › start speaking: The Chancellor of the Exchequer will take the floor for his Budget speech at 3.00 p.m. Lecturing and addressing

(Definition of floor noun (OPEN SPACE) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)