toe
noun /təʊ/
/təʊ/
Idioms 
enlarge image
enlarge imageone of the five small parts that stick out from the foot; any similar part on the foot of an animal or bird- the big/little toe (= the largest/smallest toe)
- I stubbed my toe on the step.
- Can you touch your toes? (= by bending over while keeping your legs straight)
- She wiggled her fingers and toes thoughtfully.
- on your toes She stood on her toes and kissed him.
- They are ground birds with long toes and claws.
Homophones toe | towtoe tow/təʊ//təʊ/- toe noun
- He stepped on my toe while we were dancing!
- tow verb
- Luckily, a truck came to tow our car to safety.
Extra ExamplesTopics Bodyb1- He had some kind of fungus between his toes.
- He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.
- I dipped my toe in the river to test the temperature.
- I stood on the tips of my toes to look through the window.
- Ouch! That was my toe you just trod on.
- She stood on her toes to kiss him.
- She tapped her toes to the music.
- The shoe pressed painfully against her big toe.
- Under his bare toes the floor felt gritty.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- little
- pinky
- …
- stand on
- step on
- tread on
- …
- curl
- injury
- between the/your toes
- on your toes
- from head to toe
- from top to toe
- the tips of your toes
- …
enlarge imagethe part of a sock, shoe, etc. that covers the toes- He kicked the earth with the toe of his boot.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- little
- pinky
- …
- stand on
- step on
- tread on
- …
- curl
- injury
- between the/your toes
- on your toes
- from head to toe
- from top to toe
- the tips of your toes
- …
- -toed(in adjectives) having the type or number of toes mentioned
- open-toed sandals
- a three-toed sloth
Word OriginOld English tā, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tee and German Zeh, Zehe. Current senses of the verb date from the mid 19th cent.
Idioms
dig your toes/heels in
- to refuse to do something or to change your mind about something
- They dug their toes in and would not lower the price.
dip a toe in/into something | dip a toe in/into the water
- (informal) to start doing something very carefully to see if it will be successful or not
- We decided to dip a toe in the computer games market.
from head to foot/toe
- covering your whole body
- We were covered from head to foot in mud.
- She was dressed from head to toe in red.
from top to toe
- completely; all over
- She was dressed in green from top to toe.
keep somebody on their toes
- to make sure that somebody is ready to deal with anything that might happen by doing things that they are not expecting
- Surprise visits help to keep the staff on their toes.
- The threat of inspections kept us all on our toes.
make somebody’s toes curl
- to make somebody feel embarrassed or uncomfortable
- The man's broad smile made her toes curl.
tread on somebody’s toes (especially British English)
(North American English usually step on somebody’s toes)
- (informal) to offend or annoy somebody, especially by getting involved in something that is their responsibility
- I don’t want to tread on anybody’s toes so I’ll keep quiet.