footsie
Americannoun
idioms
noun
noun
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
More perplexing is that he was able to do so among some of the game’s top players, who at least played footsie with the notion that Naroditsky cheated, despite speculative-at-best reasoning.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2025
Ms. Haley’s campaign events are gathering grounds for a mix of voters who are yearning to move past Mr. Trump and others who are playing footsie with the idea.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 1, 2024
Anyway, in the filing, Musk says he doesn’t want to play footsie with Twitter.
From The Verge ● Apr. 14, 2022
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
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But it was Sutton's guests, grime stars Footsie and Strategy, who took the weekly win to move back to the top of the table with only two weeks to go.
From BBC ● May 15, 2025
Before beginning his music career, Footsie was a talented footballer in his youth.
From BBC ● May 8, 2025
“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
A cheap pound drives up the value of multinational firms listed on the Footsie, as it means their overseas earnings are worth more when converted into sterling.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 9, 2017
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.