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footsie

American  
[foot-see] / ˈfʊt si /
Also footsy,

noun

Informal.
  1. Sometimes footsies. the act of flirting or sharing a surreptitious intimacy.


idioms

  1. play footsie / footsies with,

    1. to flirt with, especially by clandestinely touching someone's foot or leg; be slyly or furtively intimate with.

    2. to seek advantage from, especially by discreet or stealthy means; curry favor with.

Footsie 1 British  
/ ˈfʊtsɪ /

noun

  1. an informal name for Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index

"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

footsie 2 British  
/ ˈfʊtsɪ /

noun

  1. informal flirtation involving the touching together of feet, knees, etc (esp in the phrase play footsie )

"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 footsie

First recorded in 1930–35; foot + -sie, spelling variant of -sy

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.

See Examples For:

At this point, we’re only playing debasement footsie.

From Barron's Jan. 30, 2026

Anyway, in the filing, Musk says he doesn’t want to play footsie with Twitter.

From The Verge Apr. 14, 2022

Or are their feet resting on different parts of the same table leg—which, by the transitive furniture property of male bonding, would still constitute a variety of footsie?

From Slate Feb. 22, 2021

For the next three-plus decades, teams and politicians played footsie with Washington, often using the city as a lever to better their own situations and obtain new ballparks.

From Washington Post Oct. 19, 2019

Nancy knew everyone from school—except a little girl running around in footsie pajamas.

From "Sleepover Sleuths: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #1" by Carolyn Keene

Footsie and Strategy's collaborative album, Theatre of Dreams, was released on Thursday along with their video for their new lead single, Standard, which was shot in Manchester and London.

From BBC May 8, 2025

For week 36, he takes on grime stars Footsie and Strategy, who are both Manchester United fans.

From BBC May 8, 2025

Richard Hunter of Interactive Investors says traders may be snapping up bargains after the Footsie hit its lowest levels since April yesterday.

From The Guardian Jul. 20, 2021

“Thank God,” Cade said as she returned home to her cats, Stevie and Footsie, after spending the night in a hotel for safety.

From Washington Post Aug. 27, 2020

Footsie, “the one-man band,” played techno remixes of wedding party classics like “Y.M.C.A.” on a synthesizer as blue, green and red lights pulsed overhead.

From New York Times Apr. 26, 2017

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