floor

A floor is the thing that you stand on when you are inside of a building. There are many different kinds of floors.

A hardwood floor is made of wood. Hardwood floors are popular in living rooms and dining rooms.
Linoleum and ceramic floors are popular choices for kitchens and bathrooms.
Carpeted floors are found in living rooms and bedrooms. This room has wall-to-wall carpeting on the floor.
Most garage and basement floors are made of concrete.

The word "floor" is also used when referring to a level or a story of a building:

I once lived on the third floor of this apartment building.
This building has eight floors. The ground floor is the first floor. The eighth floor is the top floor.
Elevators are useful in moving from one floor to the other. Which floor would you like to go to?
A staircase is also used when moving from one floor to another.

You can also use the word "floor" to describe the bottom layer of a natural location:

There are many interesting sea creatures found near the ocean floor.
The floor of a forest might not get much sunlight. This forest floor is covered with moss.

Some expressions use the word "floor."

• Most young people start on the ground floor when they join a company. From the ground floor, they work their way up the ladder. (To work one’s way up the ladder is to move into better positions.)
• A sales floor is an area inside a store or a showroom where a salesperson sells things.
• During a meeting, a person who has the floor is the person who is speaking.

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Date of publication: September 9, 2016