foot

American  

[foot] / fʊt /

noun

plural

feet, foots

1. (in vertebrates) the terminal part of the leg, below the ankle joint, on which the body stands and moves.

2. (in invertebrates) any part similar in position or function.

3. such a part considered as the organ of locomotion.

4. a unit of length, originally derived from the length of the human foot. It is divided into 12 inches and equal to 30.48 centimeters. ft., f.

5. foot soldiers; infantry.

6. walking or running motion; pace.

   swift of foot.

7. quality or character of movement or motion; tread; step.

8. any part or thing resembling a foot, as in function, placement, shape, etc.

9. Furniture.

   1. a shaped or ornamented feature terminating a leg at its lower part.

   2. any of several short legs supporting a central shaft, as of a pedestal table.

10. a rim, flange, or flaring part, often distinctively treated, serving as a base for a table furnishing or utensil, as a glass, teapot, or candlestick.

11. the part of a stocking, sock, etc., covering the foot.

12. the lowest part, or bottom, of anything, as of a hill, ladder, page, etc.

13. a supporting part; base.

14. the part of anything opposite the top or head.

    He waited patiently at the foot of the checkout line.

15. the end of a bed, grave, etc., toward which the feet are placed.

    Put the blanket at the foot of the bed, please.

16. Printing. the part of the type body that forms the sides of the groove, at the base.

17. the last, as of a series.

18. that which is written at the bottom, as the total of an account.

19. Prosody. a group of syllables constituting a metrical unit of a verse.

20. Usually foots

    1. sediment or dregs.

    2. footlight.

21. Nautical. the lower edge of a sail.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to walk; go on foot (often followed byit ).

   We'll have to foot it.

2. to move the feet rhythmically, as to music or in dance (often followed byit ).

3. (of vessels) to move forward; sail.

   to foot briskly across the open water.

verb (used with object)

1. to walk or dance on.

   footing the cobblestones of the old city.

2. to perform (a dance).

   cavaliers footing a galliard.

3. to traverse on or as if on foot.

4. to make or attach a foot to.

   to foot a stocking.

5. to pay or settle.

   I always end up footing the bill.

6. to add (a column of figures) and set the sum at the foot (often followed byup ).

7. to seize with talons, as a hawk.

8. to establish.

9. Archaic. to kick, especially to kick away.

10. Obsolete. to set foot on.

idioms

1. get off on the right / wrong foot, to begin favorably or unfavorably.

   He got off on the wrong foot with a tactless remark about his audience.

2. put one's foot down, to take a firm stand; be decisive or determined.

3. on foot, by walking or running, rather than by riding.

4. under foot, in the way.

   That cat is always under foot when I'm getting dinner.

5. have one foot in the grave. grave.

6. put one's best foot forward,

   1. to attempt to make as good an impression as possible.

   2. to proceed with all possible haste; hurry.

7. set foot in / on, to go on or into; enter: Also step foot inon

   Don't set foot in this office again!

8. get / have / a / one's foot in the door, to succeed in achieving an initial stage or step.

9. put one's foot in / into it, to make an embarrassing blunder. Also put one's foot ininto one's mouth

foot ¹ British  

/ fʊt /

noun

1. the part of the vertebrate leg below the ankle joint that is in contact with the ground during standing and walking

2. the part of a garment that covers a foot

3. any of various organs of locomotion or attachment in invertebrates, including molluscs

4. botany the lower part of some plant structures, as of a developing moss sporophyte embedded in the parental tissue

5. 1.  ft.  a unit of length equal to one third of a yard or 12 inches. 1 Imperial foot is equivalent to 0.3048 metre

   2. any of various units of length used at different times and places, typically about 10 per cent greater than the Imperial foot

6. any part resembling a foot in form or function

   the foot of a chair

7. the lower part of something; base; bottom

   the foot of the page

   the foot of a hill

8. the end of a series or group

   the foot of the list

9. manner of walking or moving; tread; step

   a heavy foot

10. 1. infantry, esp in the British army

    2. ( as modifier )

       a foot soldier

11. any of various attachments on a sewing machine that hold the fabric in position, such as a presser foot for ordinary sewing and a zipper foot

12. music

    1. a unit used in classifying organ pipes according to their pitch, in terms of the length of an equivalent column of air

    2. this unit applied to stops and registers on other instruments

13. printing

    1. the margin at the bottom of a page

    2. the undersurface of a piece of type

14. prosody a group of two or more syllables in which one syllable has the major stress, forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm

15. an action, appointment, etc, that provides an initial step towards a desired goal, esp one that is not easily attainable

16. to be of the opposite religion to that which is regarded as acceptable or to that of the person who is speaking

17. an expression of disbelief, often of the speaker's own preceding statement

    he didn't know, my foot! Of course he did!

18. archaic in manner of movement

    fleet of foot

19. 1. walking or running

    2. in progress; astir; afoot

20. informal near to death

21. informal in an auspicious manner

22. informal in an inauspicious manner

23. to make a mistake

24. 1. to try to do one's best

    2. to hurry

25. informal

    1. to act firmly

    2. to increase speed (in a motor vehicle) by pressing down on the accelerator

26. informal to blunder

27. to initiate or start (something)

28. to oppress

29. on the ground; beneath one's feet

---

verb

1. to dance to music (esp in the phrase foot it )

2. (tr) to walk over or set foot on; traverse (esp in the phrase foot it )

3. (tr) to pay the entire cost of (esp in the phrase foot the bill )

4. archaic (usually foll by up) to add up

Foot ² British  

/ fʊt /

noun

1. Michael ( Mackintosh ). 1913–2010, British Labour politician and journalist; secretary of state for employment (1974–76); leader of the House of Commons (1976–79); leader of the Labour Party (1980–83)

---

foot Scientific  

/ ft /

plural

feet

1. A unit of length in the US Customary System equal to 1/3 of a yard or 12 inches (30.48 centimeters).

2. See Table at measurement

---

foot More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing foot

• bound hand and foot
• caught flat-footed
• feet
• get off on the wrong foot
• not touch with a ten-foot pole
• on foot
• on the right foot
• one foot in the grave
• play footsie
• put one's best foot forward
• put one's foot down
• put one's foot in it
• set foot
• shoe is on the other foot
• shoot oneself in the foot
• wait on hand and foot

---

Usage

In front of another noun, the plural for the unit of length is foot: a 20-foot putt; his 70-foot ketch. Foot can also be used instead of feet when mentioning a quantity and in front of words like tall: four foot of snow; he is at least six foot tall

Other Word Forms

• footless adjective

Etymology

Origin of foot

before 900; Middle English; Old English fōt; cognate with German Fuss; akin to Latin pēs (stem ped- ), Greek poús (stem pod- )

Explanation

Your foot is like your leg's hand, and a foot is twelve inches. When you walk, you go by foot. Since feet are so important, the word foot has many meanings. The main one is that thing below your ankle — people have feet, and so do many animals. The lower part of a bed is the foot of the bed — the foot of a mountain is also where you would expect it. The lower part of anything could be called a foot. Paying for something is footing the bill, and footing up a column of numbers is adding them up.

Example Sentences

The weight of body to transfer from right foot to left foot.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Images circulating on Mexican media showed man in a checked shirt on the pyramid as visitors appeared to be crouching at the foot of the Pyramid of the Moon.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

In an industry that monetizes every square foot of space, it’s a costly gamble for regulation that may not come to pass.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Putting your foot down won’t do any good, either.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

I keep going, one foot in front of the other, tears gumming up the back of my throat, until I feel I’m far enough away that they won’t find me.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam