footwork
Americannoun
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the use of the feet, as in tennis, boxing, or dancing.
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travel by foot from one place to another, as in gathering facts or fulfilling an assignment; legwork.
The project entailed a great deal of footwork.
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the act or process of maneuvering, especially in a skillful manner.
It took a bit of fancy footwork to avoid the issue.
noun
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skilful use of the feet, as in sports, dancing, etc
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informal clever manoeuvring
deft political footwork
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informal preliminary groundwork
many estate agents now do the footwork – you only need to visit
Etymology
Origin of footwork
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.
Swirling breeze requires sharper footwork and Sabalenka was hindered by her poor court positioning.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
Williamson may be done dancing, but the music’s still playing, and the fancy footwork of politics continues.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
Arguably most prominent was her role as the central of five ballerinas in “Divertimento No. 15,” Balanchine’s Mozart-inspired confection from 1956, where she displayed gyroscopic turns and air-filled, feathery footwork.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
His footwork is precise, his shooting touch soft and his overall game has been improving with his maturity.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
It’s a dance with complicated footwork and a changing tempo.
From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
