- 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
Origin of toe
Middle English to from Old English ta, earlier tahe, akin to German zehe from Indo-European base an unverified form dei?-, to show from source teach, Classical Latin dicere, to say, digitustransitive 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 a nail or nails driven slantingly; toenail
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
to offend someone, esp. by trespassing or intruding on prerogatives or rights
toe the line
- to stand or crouch with the toes touching the starting line of a race, etc.
- to follow orders, rules, doctrines, etc. strictly
