footstool

American

[foot-stool] / ˈfʊtˌstul /

noun

a low stool upon which to rest one's feet when seated.

footstool British

/ ˈfʊtˌstuːl /

noun

a low stool used for supporting or resting the feet of a seated person

"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 footstool

First recorded in 1520–30; foot + stool

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.

If you’re in an exit row, you might also have enough space to place a small inflatable footstool like the one from Sunany available on Amazon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

Dodge that footstool on your way to this week’s Slate News Quiz.

From Slate • Dec. 15, 2023

Lanoba’s first sale was a footstool to a psychologist in Manhattan, which Balderskilde delivered to the buyer’s office.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 3, 2023

Tony Sinden of Fife in Scotland ordered a corner suite and a footstool from Sofology at the beginning of October, for £2,898.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2021

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes.

From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

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