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.
Already, McDaniel has done some tinkering and fine-tuning, tweaking Herbert’s footwork out of the shotgun formation to allow him to get the ball out of his hands a fraction of a second earlier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Her ball toss went awry, her footwork was a step slower, and she was more agitated, at one point screaming in frustration after a netted forehand.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Gauff is an exceptional athlete who is able to move quickly around the court, but her footwork is not necessarily fluid when setting up shots from the baseline.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Gauff drilled her footwork, working to optimize her explosive speed for a slippery surface where hard stops and aggressive sprinting can often backfire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
I watched their footwork, their attacks, and their defensive moves.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
