foot
(fʊt )
Word forms: feet
1. countable noun A1
Your feet are the parts of your body that are at the ends of your legs, and that you stand on.
She stamped her foot again.
...a foot injury.
...his aching arms and sore feet.
-footed combining form
She was bare-footed.
...pink-footed geese.
2. singular noun
The foot of something is the part that is farthest from its top.
David called to the children from the foot of the stairs. [+ of]
...the foot of Highgate Hill.
A single word at the foot of a page caught her eye. [+ of]
3. singular noun
The foot of a bed is the end nearest to the feet of the person lying in it.
Friends stood at the foot of the bed, looking at her with serious faces. [+ of]
Synonyms: bottom, end, base, foundation
4. countable noun B2
A foot is a unit for measuring length, height, or depth, and is equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimetres. When you are giving measurements, the form 'foot' is often used as the plural instead of the plural form 'feet'.
This beautiful and curiously shaped lake lies at around fifteen thousand feet.
...a shopping and leisure complex of one million square feet.
He occupies a cell 10 foot long, 6 foot wide and 10 foot high.
I have to give my height in feet and inches.
5. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
A foot brake or foot pump is operated by your foot rather than by your hand.
I tried to reach the foot brakes but I couldn't.
6. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
A foot patrol or foot soldiers walk rather than travelling in vehicles or on horseback.
Paratroopers and foot soldiers entered the building on the government's behalf.
7. countable noun
In poetry, a foot is one of the basic units of rhythm into which a line is divided.
8. See also footing
9. to get cold feet phrase
If you get cold feet about something, you become nervous or frightened about it because you think it will fail.
The Government is getting cold feet about the reforms. [+ about]
10. to find one's feet phrase
If you say that someone is finding their feet in a new situation, you mean that they are starting to feel confident and to deal with things successfully.
I don't know anyone in England but I am sure I will manage when I find my feet.
Once he had found his feet he was able to deal with any problem.
11. keep/have your feet on the ground phrase
If you say that someone has their feet on the ground, you approve of the fact that they have a sensible and practical attitude towards life, and do not have unrealistic ideas. [approval]
In that respect he needs to keep his feet on the ground and not get carried away.
Kevin was always level-headed with both feet on the ground.
12. on foot phrase B1+
If you go somewhere on foot, you walk, rather than using any form of transport.
We rowed ashore, then explored the island on foot for the rest of the day.
13. on your feet phrase B1+
If you are on your feet, you are standing up.
Everyone was on their feet applauding wildly.
14. on your feet phrase
If you say that someone or something is on their feet again after an illness or difficult period, you mean that they have recovered and are back to normal.
You need someone to take the pressure off and help you get back on your feet.
He said they all needed to work together to put the country on its feet again.
15. to fall on your feet phrase
If you say that someone always falls or lands on their feet, you mean that they are always successful or lucky, although they do not seem to achieve this by their own efforts.
He has good looks and charm, and always falls on his feet.
While I struggle through life, she lands on her feet.
16. have one foot in the grave phrase
If you say that someone has one foot in the grave, you mean that they are very old or very ill and will probably die soon. [informal]
17. the boot/shoe is on the other foot phrase
If you say, in British English, the boot is on the other foot or, mainly in American English, the shoe is on the other foot, you mean that a situation has been reversed completely, so that the person who was in the better position before is now in the worse one.
You're not in a position to remove me. The boot is now on the other foot.
18. put your best foot forward phrase [VERB inflects]
If you put your best foot forward, you act in a cheerful, determined way. [old-fashioned]
Put your best foot forward and find an acceptable solution to the problems you face.
19. put your foot down phrase
If someone puts their foot down, they use their authority in order to stop something happening.
He should have put his foot down and said it was all far too early.
20. put your foot down phrase
If someone puts their foot down when they are driving, they drive as fast as they can.
I asked the driver to put his foot down for Nagqu.
21. put your foot in it phrase
If someone puts their foot in it or puts their foot in their mouth, they accidentally do or say something which embarrasses or offends people. [informal]
Our chairman has really put his foot in it, poor man, though he doesn't know it.
22. put your feet up phrase
If you put your feet up, you relax or have a rest, especially by sitting or lying with your feet supported off the ground.
After supper he'd put his feet up and read. It was a pleasant prospect.
23. not put a foot wrong phrase
If you never put a foot wrong, you never make any mistakes.
When he's around, we never put a foot wrong.
He hardly put a foot wrong in defence and was fine in attack.
24. to set foot somewhere phrase
If you say that someone sets foot in a place, you mean that they enter it or reach it, and you are emphasizing the significance of their action. If you say that someone never sets foot in a place, you are emphasizing that they never go there. [emphasis]
...the day the first man set foot on the moon.
A little later I left that place and never set foot in Texas again.
25. to stand on your own two feet phrase
If someone has to stand on their own two feet, they have to be independent and manage their lives without help from other people.
My father didn't mind whom I married, so long as I could stand on my own two feet and wasn't dependent on my husband.
26. to your feet phrase B2
If you get or rise to your feet, you stand up.
Malone got to his feet and followed his superior out of the suite.
The delegates cheered and rose to their feet.
He sprang to his feet and ran outside.
27. under your feet phrase [usually PHRASE after verb]
If you say that someone is under your feet, you are annoyed because they are with you or near you, and are bothering you. [feelings]
The children were running about under everybody's feet.
28. to get off on the wrong foot phrase
If someone gets off on the wrong foot in a new situation, they make a bad start by doing something in completely the wrong way.
Even though they had been preparing for the election for some time, they got off on the wrong foot.
29. to foot the bill phrase
If you have to foot the bill for something, you have to pay for it.
Who is footing the bill for her extravagant holiday?
Synonyms: pay, cough up [informal], meet the cost
30. feet of clay phrase
If you say that a person who is respected or admired has feet of clay or has clay feet, you mean that they have serious faults which you or other people did not know about before. [formal]
When those idols are found to have feet of clay, the pain of disenchantment can be profound.
31. foot in the door phrase
If you say that something helps someone to get their foot in the door or their toe in the door, you mean that it gives them an opportunity to start doing something new, usually in an area that is difficult to succeed in.
The bondholding may help the firm get its foot in the door to win the business.
There are a lot of talented kids out there who just need a foot in the door.
32. to drag your feet phrase
If you drag your feet or drag your heels, you delay doing something or do it very slowly because you do not want to do it.
The government, he claimed, was dragging its feet.
Synonyms: stall, procrastinate, block, hold back
33. hand and foot phrase [usu -ed PHR]
If someone is bound hand and foot, both their hands and both their feet are tied together.
34. to shoot yourself in the foot phrase [VERB inflects]
If you shoot yourself in the foot, something you say or do causes you harm.
If I was to insult the contestants I would be shooting myself in the foot.
35. to sweep someone off their feet phrase [VERB inflects]
If someone sweeps you off your feet, you fall in love with them very quickly because you find them very attractive or exciting.
I met a poor artist who completely swept me off my feet.
36. to vote with your feet phrase
If you vote with your feet, you show that you do not support something by leaving the place where it is happening or leaving the organization that is supporting it.
Thousands of citizens are already voting with their feet, and leaving the country.
Authors still have power to vote with their feet by leaving to join smaller companies.
Vocabulary Builder
FOOT big toe toe toenail sole heel ankle Idioms:
be waited on hand and foot
to be looked after by someone else who takes care of you in every way and makes you very comfortable
If you are incapable of lying on a beach and being waited on hand and foot, then La Samanna, on the Caribbean island of St Martin, is not for you.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
be bound hand and foot by something
to not be able to act freely or do what you want because something prevents you
These people are still bound hand and foot by tradition.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
start off on the right foot
to immediately have success when you begin to do something
To me this was a man who was prepared to start off on the right foot; he was mature with some common sense.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
someone has one foot in the grave
said to mean that someone is very ill or very old and is likely to die soon. You use this expression when you are talking about illness and death in a light-hearted way.
The guard and warder are taken in, they're convinced De Fiore's got one foot in the grave.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
shoot yourself in the foot
to do or say something stupid which causes problems for you or harms your chances of success
Unless he shoots himself in the foot, in all probability he will become President.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
put your foot in it
to say something which embarrasses or offends the person you are with
I put my foot in it straight away, referring to folk music. Tom sat forward and glared. `It's not folk music, man. It's heritage music.'
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
put your foot down
to use your authority in order to stop something from happening
He had planned to go on holiday with his friends, but his father had put his foot down.
[British] to start to drive as fast as you can
Once out of the park and finding a clear stretch of the Bayswater Road, he put his foot down.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
put your best foot forward
to work hard and energetically to make sure that something that you are doing is a success
Sir David said that the commission should have put its best foot forward and produced something independent.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
not put a foot wrong [British]
to not make any mistakes
John Walker has said that all great athletes have a season in which they don't put a foot wrong.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
have a foot in both camps
to support or belong to two different groups, without making a firm commitment to either of them
With an Indian father and an English mother, she had a foot in both camps – or perhaps in neither.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
get off on the wrong foot
to start a relationship or situation badly
Every time I come home on leave, we seem to get off on the wrong foot. We argue a lot.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
get a foot in the door
to make a small but successful start at something, for example doing business in a new area, and to be likely to do well in the future
The only reason I took the job was because I thought it might help me get a foot in the door.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
the boot is on the other foot [British] or the shoe is on the other foot
said to mean that a situation has been changed completely, so that the people who were previously in a better position are now in a worse one, while the people who were previously in a worse position are now in a better one
I'm in the job. You may have assisted along the way, but as far as I know you're not in a position to remove me. The boot is now on the other foot.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
be caught on the wrong foot
to be surprised by something that happens quickly and unexpectedly, because you are not ready for it
The supermarket chain seems to have been caught on the wrong foot, still trying to escape its 'cheap' past just as it should be capitalizing on that record.
Again and again European and UN diplomacy has been wrong-footed by events in the Balkans.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
foot the bill
to pay for something
Police will have to foot the bill for the slight damage to both cars.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Collocations:
feet shuffle feet sink into foot massage foot rub foot the cost place a foot prosthetic foot sore foot step a foot wide feet
Tired feet shuffle forward while thoughts turn to the funeral this afternoon.
Times, Sunday Times
I enjoy the sound of leaves as my feet shuffle through them on the grass.
Globe and Mail
Feet shuffled, arms were raised and choruses were chanted back as lasers swept the courtyard and a keytar player came on stage.
Times, Sunday Times
Feet shuffled across the turf, testing its spring, a bark of laughter cracking the silence, but the stadium, by and large, was empty.
Times, Sunday Times
Little but telling design touches are everywhere, such as the chrome air vent bezels and the deep-pile lambswool overmats your feet sink into.
The Sun
But it's the little touches like the drinks cabinet, veneered cup holders and lambswool mats underfoot that literally leave an impression as your feet sink into them.
The Sun
From the first floor up, everywhere you tread, your feet sink into stridently patterned carpets.
Times, Sunday Times
She goes to see her mother and gives her a foot massage.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Then a body wrap, rehydrating body mask and sea-derived eye mask, with face, scalp and foot massage.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In it, 76 women, divided into two groups, were given either foot reflexology or a non-specific foot massage.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
What did the stranded expect, a personal travel assistant who would console them about their nixed holidays while giving them a foot rub?
Times,Sunday Times
I'll only be accused of glorifying a foot rub.
Times, Sunday Times
If you can't find a willing volunteer to give you a foot rub, try working sore feet over a rolling pin or tennis ball to loosen up tight muscles.
The Sun
Next, the public were kindly informed he was 'doing foot rubs when the contractions hit'.
Times, Sunday Times
There are foot rubs and back rubs as far as the eye can see.
Times, Sunday Times
Critics argue that once the scheme has been introduced nationally the subsidy will be withdrawn, leaving council tax payers to foot the cost.
Times, Sunday Times
Bring back nationalisation instead of us having to foot the cost of lots of directors and staff at different companies.
The Sun
They are also angry about being asked to foot the cost of the new ombudsman, estimated to be some 2 million a year.
Times, Sunday Times
If someone needs help in their own property or in a care home, but not in hospital, the local council will assess whether they foot the cost themselves.
Times, Sunday Times
Bend one leg and place the foot on the knee of the supporting leg.
The Sun
With its 175kg weight it's less intimidating - should you feel the bike lean over you can place your foot down without feeling you're going to drop your pride and joy.
The Sun
The operator would place a foot on a flywheel spoke, held onto the roof timbers and treadmill the belt.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
As you exit, be careful not to place your foot between the train and the platform.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Lying on your side with your elbow under your shoulder, place your feet together, one on top of the other.
Times, Sunday Times
He started talking about his prosthetic foot because it kept setting the metal detectors off at airports.
Times, Sunday Times
Jigsaw found him unconscious shortly after and helped him recover, fitting him with a prosthetic foot.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
He returned to duty with a prosthetic foot.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
She offered to lighten a backpack and bandage a sore foot.
Christianity Today
She has a sore foot which turns to gangrene.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Drive one in anger around the track and you emerge sweaty, complaining of sore feet.
Times, Sunday Times
Apart from a pair of sore feet - unavoidable, even with three different pairs of running shoes - he remained in almost freakishly good health throughout.
Times, Sunday Times
You're a martyr to sore feet and stress-induced insomnia on holiday, so a hotel with spa would feel like heaven.
The Sun
We interact with those who will not step foot in the institutions we love.
Christianity Today
One said that she would 'never step foot on that plane again', after the descent that had lasted 'for what seemed like an eternity'.
Times, Sunday Times
When four friends on a bachelor party boat ride step foot on the island, two of them are infected by swimming in the contaminated water.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Today we finally leave behind our beloved blue and gold and step foot in the real world.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
I'm sure this diet will help me reach the size of my dreams - without stepping foot in a gym or filling up on diet cola.
The Sun
Ideal for wide feet, the lacing system lets your feet securely grip the floor while exercising.
The Sun
Its legs, however, are normal with wide feet.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Its wide feet allow it to hop about on lily pads.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Translations:
Chinese: 足
Japanese: 足