toe
Americannoun
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toes
plural
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one of the terminal digits of the human foot.
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an analogous part in certain animals.
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the forepart of the foot or hoof of a horse or the like.
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the forepart of anything worn on the foot, as of a shoe or stocking.
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a part resembling a toe in shape or position.
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Railroads. the end of a frog in front of the point and in the direction of the switch.
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Machinery.
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a journal or part placed vertically in a bearing, as the lower end of a vertical shaft.
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a curved partial cam lifting the flat surface of a follower and letting it drop; wiper.
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Golf. the outer end of the head of a club.
verb (used with object)
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toes,
present (3rd person singular)
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toed,
past participle, past
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toeing
present participle
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to furnish with a toe or toes.
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to touch or reach with the toes.
The pitcher toed the mound, wound up, and threw a fastball.
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to kick with the toe.
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Golf. to strike (the ball) with the toe of the club.
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Carpentry.
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to drive (a nail) obliquely.
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to toenail.
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verb (used without object)
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toes,
present (3rd person singular)
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toed,
past participle, past
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toeing
present participle
-
to stand, walk, etc., with the toes in a specified position.
to toe in.
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to tap with the toe, as in dancing.
idioms
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on one's toes, energetic; alert; ready.
The spirited competition kept them on their toes.
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step / tread on someone's toes, to offend (a person); encroach on the territory or sphere of responsibility of (another).
The new employee stepped on a lot of toes when he suggested reorganizing the office.
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toe the line. line.
noun
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any one of the digits of the foot
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the corresponding part in other vertebrates
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the part of a shoe, sock, etc, covering the toes
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anything resembling a toe in shape or position
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the front part of the head of a golf club, hockey stick, etc
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the lower bearing of a vertical shaft assembly
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the tip of a cam follower that engages the cam profile
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informal to begin doing or try something new or unfamiliar
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alert
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to offend or insult a person, esp by trespassing on his or her field of responsibility
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informal to die
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slang speed
a player with plenty of toe
verb
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(tr) to touch, kick, or mark with the toe
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(tr) golf to strike (the ball) with the toe of the club
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(tr) to drive (a nail, spike, etc) obliquely
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(intr) to walk with the toes pointing in a specified direction
to toe inwards
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to conform to expected standards, attitudes, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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toesimple
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toessimple
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have toedperfect
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has toedperfect
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am toeingprogressive
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are toeingprogressive
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is toeingprogressive
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have been toeingperfect progressive
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has been toeingperfect progressive
Past
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toedsimple
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had toedperfect
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was toeingprogressive
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were toeingprogressive
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had been toeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of toe
before 900; Middle English; Old English tā; cognate with Dutch teen, German Zehe, Old Norse tā
Explanation
Your toes are to your feet what your fingers are to your hands. They're the five digits you have on each foot. Tetrapod, or four-limbed animals, have toes on their feet. The way those toes are used distinguishes these animals from each other. Some, like dogs, are digitigrade, walking on their toes. Humans are plantigrade, meaning we walk with our toes flat against the ground, our weight on the soles of our feet. You can also use toe to mean the front of your shoe, or as a verb meaning "to touch with one's foot."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Even more striking was its second toe, which could bend backward unusually far and carried a curved, sickle-shaped claw.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
Baron Cohen, 55, arrived at the Los Angeles premiere of his new film in character, wearing neon yellow from head to toe.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
“I’m just dipping my toe in.… It’s still an experiment for me,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
As part of its turnaround strategy, the jeansmaker is trying to move beyond jeans and dress consumers from head to toe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Not even a blink or a word as she stared at Brigit, inspecting her from head to toe.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Bessent has been known recently to keep Wall Street on its toes, foregoing the “regular and predictable” approach favored by his predecessors, wrote Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist at Santander U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
He also likes to keep guests on their toes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
From Boris Pickett’s “Monster Mash” to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell on You” to, of course, “Thriller,” there are plenty of tunes to tap one’s toes with while trick-or-treating.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Moloney-MacDonald cost her side an early try in the defeat by Canada when, after doing superbly to pick Jess Breach's pass off her toes, she spilled the ball over the line in the sixth minute.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
I walk with my neck craned so far back I trip over my toes a couple of times.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
When war was declared, David recanted his previously strong pro-German views and toed a patriotic line.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
“The bottom line is that he has shown to be the best pitcher in a particular league multiple times,” Roberts said before Yamamoto toed the mound.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2025
In 2018, Zhang Yiming, the founder of ByteDance, toed the party line after Beijing shut down ByteDance’s jokes app.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 13, 2024
Clucas strode forward, toed the ball beyond the Ipswich defence and Eaves opens up his body before stroking the ball into the bottom-right corner.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2024
I toed off my Vans, and Sohrab stepped out of his sandals.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
The event, Petito says, does "a really good job of toeing the line... for pushing the advocacy side and not the exploitative side of victims and their families and loved ones".
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
During my three weeks covered in glowing sensors, I found myself toeing the line between mindful self-improvement and algorithmic overload.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
When it came to shoes, though, Murkowski showed little interest in toeing Trump’s line.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
"Currencies should reflect economic fundamentals ... I'm closely watching currency moves," Suzuki told reporters, toeing the standard official line.
From Reuters ● Sep. 1, 2023
Dorothy walked to school on the other side of the street, toeing the invisible line that separated them.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
