barefoot

American  

[bair-foot] / ˈbɛərˌfʊt /

adjective

1. Also barefooted. with the feet bare.

   a barefoot boy;

   to walk barefoot.

2. Carpentry. (of a post or stud) secured to a sill or the like without mortising.

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barefoot British  

/ ˈbɛəˌfʊt /

adjective

1. with the feet uncovered

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Etymology

Origin of barefoot

before 1000; Middle English barfot, Old English bærfōt. See bare ¹, foot

Explanation

When you're barefoot, you're not wearing any shoes or socks. It might feel good to walk barefoot on a sandy beach on a warm day, but just don't try entering a restaurant barefoot. Some kids might spend the whole summer barefoot, walking down sidewalks with their sneakers in their hands, and if you're a lifeguard or a professional gymnast, you get to be barefoot at work. The Old English root of barefoot is bærfot, combining bær, "naked" or "uncovered," with fot, "foot."

Example Sentences

Eger unlocked one woman’s grief by coaxing her to stand barefoot on her mother’s grave.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

And I should—post-matcha, I spent 6.5 minutes barefoot in an immersive audiovisual “uplifting” guided breathwork program.

From Slate • May 8, 2026

Scores of bare-chested flagellants with covered faces walked barefoot through the dusty streets of Pampanga province's San Fernando as they flogged their backs with bamboo whips in scorching heat.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

They walked in single file, many of them barefoot, carrying flowers, handing out bracelets and picking up new followers along the way.

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026

We were barefoot, the way most Sudanese children are, and our feet grew big blisters on them, but we kept going as fast as we could.

From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau