What does "floor" mean?

1. (surface you walk on) the flat surface that you walk on when you are inside a building. 2. (level of a building) one of the levels or storeys in a tall building. 3. (right to speak) the right to speak during a formal meeting or debate. 4. (minimum limit) the lowest possible level that a price or interest rate can reach. 5. (to surprise greatly) to surprise or shock someone so much that they do not know what to say. 6. (to accelerate a car) to push the gas pedal in a car all the way down to go very fast.

Is it correct to say "I dropped my keys on the ground in the kitchen."?

No — say "I dropped my keys on the floor in the kitchen.". Use 'floor' for surfaces inside a building and 'ground' for surfaces outside.

floor

US //ˈfɫɔɹ// UK //flˈɔː// floor

1 surface you walk on (n.)
A1 Beginner

the flat surface that you walk on when you are inside a building.

the interior bottom surface of a room or building, providing a structural base for walking.

Example

The children were playing with their wooden blocks on the living room floor.

Example

The architect specified polished concrete for the ground floor to create a seamless transition between the interior and the courtyard.
- ground
- deck
- ceiling
Pitfall

I dropped my keys on the ground in the kitchen.

I dropped my keys on the floor in the kitchen.

Use 'floor' for surfaces inside a building and 'ground' for surfaces outside.
2 level of a building (n.)
A1 Beginner

one of the levels or storeys in a tall building.

a horizontal division or storey within a building.

Example

Our office is located on the third floor of the building.

Example

The penthouse occupies the entire top floor, offering panoramic views of the city's historic district.

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3 right to speak (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

the right to speak during a formal meeting or debate.

the formal right to address an assembly or parliament at a given time.

Example

The chairman gave the floor to the youngest member of the committee.

Example

Once the minister yielded the floor, several opposition members rose simultaneously to challenge the proposed budget cuts.
- turn
- speaking rights
4 minimum limit (n.)
C1 Advanced Technical Finance

the lowest possible level that a price or interest rate can reach.

a lower limit or minimum threshold applied to prices, wages, or interest rates.

Example

The government set a price floor for milk to help local farmers.

Example

The contract includes an interest rate floor to protect the lender against a sudden drop in market volatility.
- minimum
- base
- ceiling
- cap
5 to surprise greatly (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

to surprise or shock someone so much that they do not know what to say.

to overwhelm or disconcert someone completely; to leave someone speechless with surprise.

Example

The news of her sudden promotion completely floored me.

Example

The sheer audacity of the proposal floored the board of directors, leaving them in stunned silence for several minutes.
6 to accelerate a car (v.)
C1 Advanced Informal American English

to push the gas pedal in a car all the way down to go very fast.

to depress an accelerator pedal to its maximum limit.

Example

As soon as the light turned green, he floored it and sped away.

Example

Realising he was late for the final boarding call, he floored the accelerator as soon as he hit the open highway.
- accelerate
- speed
- brake

Origin

Inherited from Middle English flor, flore, from Old English flōr (“floor, pavement, ground, bottom”), from Proto-West Germanic flōr, from Proto-Germanic flōraz (“flat surface, floor, plain”), from Proto-Indo-European pleh₂ros (“floor”), from Proto-Indo-European pleh₂- (“flat”). Cognate with Scots flair, fluir (“floor”), Saterland Frisian Floor (“floor”), West Frisian flier (“floor”), Dutch vloer (“floor”), German Flur (“field, floor, entrance hall”), German Low German Floor (“entry hall”), Luxembourgish Flouer (“countryside, farmland”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish flor (“floor of a cow stall”), Irish urlár (“floor”), Scottish Gaelic làr (“floor, ground, earth”), Welsh llawr (“floor, ground”), Latin plānus (“level, flat”).

Idioms8 entries