barefoot
Americanadjective
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Also barefooted. with the feet bare.
a barefoot boy;
to walk barefoot.
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Carpentry. (of a post or stud) secured to a sill or the like without mortising.
adjective
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Stroll down, barefoot, and it’s a free shiatsu foot massage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Years ago, Rebecca became obsessed with barefoot shoes.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
Young men, some barefoot, dart around in the sand under the guidance of a volunteer coach improvising drills amid the shouts.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
More footage was shown of Varley, barefoot and wearing a Jurassic Park t-shirt and tartan pyjama bottoms, outside the hospital entrance, minutes after Preston had been declared dead.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
He was barefoot, wearing a T-shirt that said Everything Is Everything and a pair of jeans.
From "Miracle's Boys" by Jacqueline Woodson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
