toe Definition
toe (tō)
noun
- any of the five jointed parts at the front of the human foot; digit
- the forepart of the human foot
- the part of a shoe, sock, etc. that covers the toes
- any of the digits of an animal's foot, or the forepart of a hoof, etc.
- anything suggesting a toe in location, shape, or function; specif.,
- a pivot or journal extending vertically in a bearing
- a projecting arm raised or moved by a cam
Etymology: ME to < OE ta, earlier tahe, akin to Ger zehe < IE base *dei-, to show > teach, L dicere, to say, digitus
transitive verb toed, toe′·ing
- to provide with a toe or toes
- to touch, kick, etc. with the toes to toe a starting line
- Carpentry
- to drive (a nail) slantingly
- to clinch or fasten with nails driven slantingly; toenail
intransitive verb
☆ to stand, walk, or be formed so that the toes are in a specified position to toe in or toe out
toe Idioms
on one's toes
Informal mentally or physically alert
step on someone's toes
or tread on someone's toesto offend someone, esp. by trespassing or intruding on prerogatives or rights
toe the line
or toe the mark- to stand or crouch with the toes touching the starting line of a race, etc.
- to follow orders, rules, doctrines, etc. strictly
toe Synonyms
toe
n.
on one's toes*
step<strong> or </strong>tread on someone's toes
toe Usage Examples
Converse of object
- deform: I get pain in the ball of my foot - caused by deformed toes?
- stub: Now I want you to imagine some time you banged your shin or ankle, or stubbed a toe.
- dip: Who wants to dip even a toe in waters approximately five degrees below freezing?
- amputate: Three of them had fingers or toes amputated and their wounds took months to heal during the dark Arctic winter.
Adjective modifier
- well-arched: The feet should be short, round and compact with well-arched toes and thick, hard pads.
- pointed: Think of its shape as rather like a high fashion boot with a pointed toe.
- fractured: Radiographs revealed 2 fractured toes, one of which may need amputation.
- broken: A broken little toe here, a torn tendon there, a twisted ligament.
Modifies a noun
- nail: An In growing toe nail is caused by a splinter of nail or the whole nail causing pressure into the skin.
- cap: Hard boots or ones with steel toe caps can prevent injuries to the feet.
- seam: Fashioned in a matt, transparent material they feature a smooth, slim satin band at the top and have a flat toe seam.
- curling: Major fixtures like PRNewswire didn't give me any toe curling experiences.
- shoe: The lightly reinforced toe makes them durable while still allowing you to dance the night away in your favorite open toe shoes.
- amputation: MEMO to Russell Brand: The stickleback joke was funny, but I'm not so sure about the toe amputation gag.
Noun used with modifier
- mallet: The DIPJ may just bend downwards itself while the rest of the toe remains straight ( usually called a mallet toe ).
- twinkle: Gents have you gained a tubby tummy and lost sight of your twinkle toes?
- peep: Stand gazing into shoe shop windows at pretty pinks and Summer greens with narrow straps, peep toes and sling backs.
- hammer: A " hammer toe " may occur at the 2nd toe.
- claw: Freestanding claw toe baths, for example, can be purchased from many of the modern bathroom showrooms.
- sandal: These have an elegant soft shine finish and sandal toe.
Browse dictionary entries near toe
- ‹ tody
- ‹ toddy palm
- ‹ toddy
- ‹ toddler
- ‹ toddle
- ‹ Todd, Ron(ald)
- ‹ Todd, Ron
- ‹ Todd, Mike
- ‹ Todd
- ‹ today
- toe crack ›
- toe dance ›
- toe-in ›
- toe the line or mark ›
- toe-to-toe ›
- toea ›
- toecap ›
- toed ›
- Toefl ›
- toehold ›

