foot fault

American

noun

Tennis.

a fault consisting in the failure of the server to keep both feet behind the base line until the ball is hit or to keep at least one foot on the ground while hitting the ball.

foot fault British

noun

tennis a fault that occurs when the server fails to keep both feet behind the baseline until he has served

"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 foot fault

First recorded in 1885–90

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.

Women’s Open title began Thursday with a foot fault.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026

The Briton again went 3-0 down, airing her frustrations towards her family and coaches in the crowd and shaking her head at the scoreboard after being penalised for a foot fault.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2023

Pliskova served first and got pushed to deuce in the opening game, when she was called for a second-serve foot fault.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 6, 2021

A line judge called Williams for a foot fault on her second serve.

From New York Times • Sep. 6, 2020

Evans fought back, however, breaking Isner twice in quick succession to capture the second set before breaking again in the second game of the final set, aided by an Isner foot fault.

From Reuters • Feb. 23, 2019

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