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foot Definition

foot (fo̵ot)

noun pl. feet

  1. the end part of the leg, on which a person or animal stands or moves
  2. a thing like a foot in some way; specif.,
    1. the part that a thing stands on; base
    2. the lowest part; bottom the foot of a page
    3. the last of a series go to the foot of the line
    4. the part of a sewing machine that holds the cloth steady
    5. the part of the body of a mollusk that is normally muscular and ventrally located, used for attachment, burrowing, and locomotion, or, as in cephalopods, serving as the basis for the arms, tentacles, eyes, and mouth
  3. the end of a bed, grave, etc. toward which the feet are directed
  4. the end opposite to the end designated the head at the foot of the table
  5. the part of a stocking, boot, etc. that covers the foot
  6. a unit of length in the FPS system, equal to 12 inches or yard (0.3048 meter): symbol, ′: abbrev. ft: pl. sometimes foot following a number [50 foot of lumber] and always in attributive use [a six-foot athlete]
  7. Brit. foot soldiers; infantry
  8. pl. foots the sediment in a liquid: usually used in pl.
  9. a group of syllables serving as a unit of meter in verse; esp., such a unit having a specified placement of the stressed syllable or syllables

Etymology: ME fot < OE, akin to Ger fuss < IE *pōd-, var. of base *pēd-, foot, to go > Sans pad-, Gr pous, L pes

intransitive verb

    1. to dance
    2. to go on foot: now rare exc. in phr. foot it: see below
  2. to move ahead, esp. with speed: said of a sailboat

transitive verb

  1. to walk, dance, or run on, over, or through; tread
  2. to make or repair the foot of (a stocking, etc.)
  3. to add (a column of figures) and set down a total: often with up
  4. ☆ Informal to pay (costs, expenses, etc.) to foot the bill

Note For phrases using feet, see feet

foot Idioms

foot it

Informal to dance, walk, or run

of foot

in walking or running swift of foot

on foot

  1. walking or running
  2. going on; in process

on the wrong foot

in an inept or unfavorable way at the very beginning

put one's best foot forward

Informal
  1. to do the best that one can
  2. to try to appear at one's best

put one's foot down

Informal to be firm; act decisively

put one's foot in it

or put one's foot in in one's mouth

Informal to make an embarrassing or troublesome blunder

under foot

  1. on the surface of the ground; on the floor, etc.
  2. in the way

foot Synonyms

foot

n.

  1. A unit of measurement

    twelve inches, running foot, front foot, board foot, square foot, cubic foot.

  2. End of the leg

    extremity, pedal extremity, pes (Latin), hoof, paw, pad, heel, sole, arch, instep, toes, dog*, tootsie*, kicker*, trotter*. *

  3. A foundation

    footing, base, bottom, pier; see foundation 2.

  4. A metrical unit in verse

    measure, accent, interval, meter, duple meter, triple meter.

    Metrical feet include: iamb, dactyl, spondee, trochee, anapest, dipod, amphibrach.

on foot

walking, running, hiking, marching; see walking.

on one's feet

  1. standing, erect, vertical; see upright 1.

  2. sound, settled, secure;

on the wrong foot

unfavorably, ineptly, incapably, inauspiciously; see awkwardly, wrongly 2.

put one's best foot forward*

do one's best, appear at one's best, try hard; see display 1, try 1.

put one's foot down*

be firm, act decisively, take a firm stand; see resolve 1.

put one's foot in it<strong> or </strong>in one's mouth*

embarrass oneself and others, blunder, be indiscreet; see botch.

under foot

on the ground, on the floor, at one's feet, in the way; see disturbing, under 1.

foot Usage Examples

Preposition: on

  • ladder: An increasing number of first time buyers are taking out shared mortgages with family members to get a foot on the property ladder.
  • accelerator: They watched as Des put his foot on the accelerator pedal, and the shed began to trundle through the car park.

Preposition: above

sea-level: The highest ground is found at Cairntable, situate on the western boundary, having an elevation of 1944 feet above sea-level.

Adjective modifier

  • cubic: The fields are estimated to contain recoverable reserves of 350 to 400 billion cubic feet.
  • square: You will want 1 bunch for every 2 square feet of pool surface, which works out at 5 bunches per square meter.
  • bare: I sat near the water's edge just letting the sea flow over my bare feet.
  • left: I was thrown around and received an injury to my left foot.
  • hind: Fore and hind feet should be well clothed with hair both over and between the toes.

Modifies a noun

  • ulcer: Another area of great debate is the choice of dressing for diabetic patients with foot ulcers.
  • patrol: The research shows the potential value of additional high visibility foot patrol, particularly in areas with high concentrations of recorded personal robbery.
  • soldier: The drawings of these foot soldiers tally closely to that of mounted figures representing Hungarian light horse.

Noun used with modifier

  • twelve: It was a shark, certainly not less than twelve feet long.
  • cavus: It tends to be more obvious in cavus feet.
  • surfer: Surf wax and traction pads are used to keep a surfers feet from slipping off the deck of the board.
  • bun: The basket has a fold down handle, round bun feet, and a pierced and repousse design to the rim.

Possessives

athlete: Lemongrass oil assists in clearing up oily skin and acne; helps with athlete's foot and excessive perspiration.

Preposition: in

  • diameter: Having found the best location, start digging a hole about 4 feet in diameter.
  • height: I do not want them to become trees as I require only a living screen around six feet in height.
  • length: The great drawing-room is sixty feet in length by thirty wide and twenty-four feet high.

Preposition: of

stair: Harry's room is a closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.