foot
foot
/fʊt/
(plural feet /fiːt/ /fiːt/) part of body
1 countable the lowest part of the leg, below the ankle, on which a person or an animal stands My feet are aching.
She kicked the ball with her right foot.
He's broken several bones in his left foot.
The whole audience rose to its feet (= stood up) and cheered.
to leap/jump/spring to your feet (= to stand up quickly and easily)
to scramble/struggle/stagger to your feet (= to stand up slowly and with difficulty)
on foot We came on foot (= we walked).
on your feet I've been on my feet (= standing or walking around) all day.
Come on lads—on your feet and do some work!
walking around the house in bare feet (= not wearing shoes or socks)
We were stamping our feet (= hitting them on the ground) to keep warm.
Please wipe your feet (= your shoes) on the mat.
The hot sand burned the soles of my feet.
He is currently resting a foot injury.
a foot pump (= operated using your foot, not your hand)
a foot passenger (= one who travels on a ferry without a car)
Collocations
adjective
verb + foot
get to
jump to
leap to…
foot + verb
foot + noun
preposition
beneath your foot
under your foot
from foot to foot…
phrases
the ball of the/your foot
from head to foot
put your feet up…
-footed
2 (in adjectives and adverbs) having or using the type or number of foot/feet mentioned
bare-footed
four-footed
a left-footed shot into the corner
part of sock
measurement
4 (plural feet, foot) (abbreviation ft) (in Britain and North America) a unit for measuring length equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimetres
a six-foot high wall
We're flying at 35 000 feet.
‘How tall are you?’ ‘Five foot nine’ (= five feet and nine inches).
foot of something The town was under several feet of water (= the water was several feet deep).
We had over a foot of snow in a few hours (= the snow was over a foot deep).
The store has 600 square feet of retail space.
base/bottom/end
5 singular the foot of something the lowest part of something; the base or bottom of something The city now reaches to the foot of the surrounding mountains.
At the foot of the stairs she turned to face him.
See the foot of this page for a partial bibliography.
(British English) The team remains stuck at the foot of the table (= with fewer points than all the other teams).
6 the further or lower end of something
The nurse hung a chart at the foot of the bed (= the part of the bed where your feet normally are when you are lying in it).
He sat at the foot of the table.
in poetry
7 singular (specialist) a unit of rhythm in a line of poetry containing one stressed syllable and one or more syllables without stress. Each of the four divisions in the following line is a foot For men / may come / and men / may go.
Idioms
to be extremely busy; to have too many things to do
Weekdays are slow in the restaurant, but at weekends the staff are rushed off their feet.
to tie somebody’s hands and feet together so that they cannot move or escape
to prevent somebody from doing what they want by creating rules, limits, etc.
(British English)
(North American English the shoe is on the other foot)
used to say that a situation has changed so that somebody now has power or authority over the person who used to have power or authority over them
to suddenly cause somebody’s idea or plan to fail by doing something to stop them from continuing with it
to be deliberately slow in doing something or in making a decision
RELATED NOUN foot-dragging
TOPICS Preferences and decisionsC2
to be lucky in finding yourself in a good situation, or in getting out of a difficult situation
You landed on your feet, getting such a well-paid job with so little experience.
Jim’s always getting himself in trouble, but he usually seems to fall on his feet.
with your feet touching the ground before any other part of your body
He landed feet first.
(humorous) if you leave a place feet first, you are carried out after you are dead
You'll have to carry me out feet first!
to become able to act independently and with confidence
I only recently joined the firm so I'm still finding my feet.
(old-fashioned, informal, humorous) a strong way of saying that you disagree completely with what has just been said
‘Ian can't come because he's tired.’ ‘Tired my foot! Lazy more like!’
TOPICS Opinion and argumentC2
covering your whole body
We were covered from head to foot in mud.
She was dressed from head to toe in red.
(informal) to suddenly become nervous about doing something that you had planned to do
He was going to ask her but he got cold feet and said nothing.
TOPICS FeelingsC2
(especially North American English, informal) to start doing something that is new for you
At that time he was a young actor, just getting his feet wet.
to manage to enter an organization, a field of business, etc. that could bring you success
I always wanted to work in TV but it took me two years to get a foot in the door.
TOPICS SuccessC2
(informal) to want to travel or move to a different place; to want to do something different
After a few years in one place, I get itchy feet.
(informal) to start a relationship well/badly
I seem to have got off on the wrong foot with the new boss.
to have a fault or weakness in your character
When the actor was imprisoned for drug offences, his fans were upset to find that their hero had feet of clay.
to have a sensible and realistic attitude to life
In spite of his overnight stardom he still manages to keep his feet on the ground.
have/keep a foot in both camps
to be involved in or connected with two different groups, especially ones that oppose each other
have one foot in the grave
(informal) to be so old or ill that you are not likely to live much longer
TOPICS Health problemsC2
have two left feet
(informal) to be very awkward in your movements, especially when you are dancing or playing a sport
have the world at your feet
to be very successful and admired
TOPICS SuccessC2
in your stocking(ed) feet
wearing socks or stockings but not shoes
not let the grass grow under your feet
to not delay in getting things done
(put/catch somebody) on the back foot
(to put somebody) at a disadvantage or in difficulty
Advances in drone technology have caught lawmakers on the back foot.
The side that’s on the back foot, struggling to defend, will usually give away more penalties.
We'd like to put the fossil fuel industry on the back foot.
OPPOSITE on the front foot
on your feet
completely well or in a normal state again after an illness or a time of trouble
Sue's back on her feet again after her operation.
The new chairman hopes to get the company back on its feet within six months.
Synonyms stand
TOPICS Health problemsC2
on the front foot
(especially British English)
at an advantage
They allowed the home side to get on the front foot right at the start.
OPPOSITE (putcatch somebody) on the back foot
taking positive steps to achieve something
He has been firmly on the front foot, calling for politicians and police to intervene.
the patter of tiny feet
(informal or humorous) a way of referring to children when somebody wants, or is going to have, a baby
We can't wait to hear the patter of tiny feet.
pull the rug (out) from under somebody’s feet
(informal) to take help or support away from somebody suddenly
put your best foot forward
to make a great effort to do something, especially if it is difficult or you are feeling tired
put your feet up
to sit down and relax, especially with your feet raised and supported
After a hard day's work, it's nice to get home and put your feet up.
put your foot down
to be very strict in opposing what somebody wishes to do
You've got to put your foot down and make him stop seeing her.
(British English) to drive faster
She put her foot down and roared past them.
put your foot in it
(British English)
(also put your foot in your mouth North American English, British English)
to say or do something that upsets, offends or embarrasses somebody
I really put my foot in it with Ella—I didn't know she'd split up with Tom.
put a foot wrong
(usually used in negative sentences)
to make a mistake
In the last two games he has hardly put a foot wrong.
set foot in/on something
to enter or visit a place
the first man to set foot on the moon
I vowed never to set foot in the place again.
set somebody/something on their/its feet
to make somebody/something independent or successful
His business sense helped set the club on its feet again.
TOPICS SuccessC2
shoot yourself in the foot
(informal) to do or say something that will cause you a lot of trouble or harm, especially when you are trying to get an advantage for yourself
sit at somebody’s feet
to admire somebody very much, especially a teacher or somebody from whom you try to learn
stand on your own (two) feet
to be independent and able to take care of yourself
When his parents died he had to learn to stand on his own two feet.
sweep somebody off their feet
to make somebody fall suddenly and deeply in love with you
She’s waiting for some hero to come and sweep her off her feet.
TOPICS FeelingsC2
take the weight off your feet
(informal) to sit down and rest, especially when you are tired
Come and sit down and take the weight off your feet for a while.
think on your feet
to be able to think and react to things very quickly and effectively without any preparation
under your feet
in the way; stopping you from working, etc.
I don't want you kids under my feet while I'm cooking.
vote with your feet
to show what you think about something by going or not going somewhere
Shoppers voted with their feet and avoided the store.
wait on somebody hand and foot
(disapproving) to take care of somebody’s needs so well that they do not have to do anything for themselves
He seems to expect me to wait on him hand and foot.
walk somebody off their feet
(informal) to make somebody walk so far or so fast that they are very tired
I hope I haven’t walked you off your feet.
Word Origin
Old English fōt, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch voet and German Fuss, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit pad, pāda, Greek pous, pod-, and Latin pes, ped- ‘foot’.