barefoot

American

[bair-foot] / ˈbɛərˌfʊt /

adjective

Also barefooted. with the feet bare.

a barefoot boy;
to walk barefoot.
Carpentry. (of a post or stud) secured to a sill or the like without mortising.

barefoot British

/ ˈbɛəˌfʊt /

adjective

with the feet uncovered

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of barefoot

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

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

Many people in our troubled country are apparently so eager for peace that they’ll join barefoot monks in colorful robes in walking halfway across the continent.

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026

Due to the water’s high mineral content, the fall’s boulders have developed a spongy texture that allows you to climb barefoot while water gushes over your feet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

The footage showed Noah returning to his home at Fitzroy Avenue at about 04:08 on the same morning barefoot and without his headphones.

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026

I was barefoot and in my underwear and shivering.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023