The Ground Floor Is the First Floor in America
A floor is the surface you walk on. Britain and America number the storeys of a building differently, which causes real confusion in lifts.
A floor is the lower surface of a room, or one storey of a building. The numbering differs by country and the confusion is genuine: in Britain the entrance level is the *ground floor* and the one above is the *first floor*, while in the United States the entrance level is the *first floor*. A British second floor is an American third. The verb *to floor* someone means to knock them down, or to astonish them.
- A room's lower surface. *A wooden floor.*
- A storey. *The third floor.*
- The right to speak. *She has the floor.*
- To astonish. *The news floored him.*
- Ground floor — the entrance level, British. *The ground floor.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | floor | A tiled floor. |
| Plural | floors | Six floors. |
| Verb | floor | It floored me. |
| Noun | flooring | New flooring. |
| Old English | flor | A floor. |
- The office is on the fourth floor.Check which country.
- The chair gave her the floor.Debate.
- The news absolutely floored me.Astonishment.
Floor numbering by country
- Britain and most of Europe — ground floor, then first floor above
- United States and Canada — first floor at entrance level
- Result — a British third floor is an American fourth
- Some buildings skip 13, superstition rather than counting
- Lifts often label the entrance G or 0 in Britain
Old English *flor*, a floor or ground, from a Germanic root related to a sense of flatness, shared with *field*.
Is the first floor at ground level?
In America yes. In Britain the entrance level is the ground floor and the first floor is one flight up.
What does having the floor mean?
Holding the right to speak in a formal meeting or debate.