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forefoot

American  
[fawr-foot, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌfʊt, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

  • forefeet
    plural
  1. Zoology. one of the front feet of a quadruped, an insect, etc.

  2. Nautical.

    1. the point at which the stem of a hull joins the keel; the forward end of a keel.

    2. a curved member at this point in a wooden hull.


forefoot British  
/ ˈfɔːˌfʊt /

noun

  1. either of the front feet of a quadruped

  2. nautical the forward end of the keel

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of forefoot

First recorded in 1325–75, forefoot is from the Middle English word forfot, forefote. See fore-, foot


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:

Unlike the forefoot, which makes contact with the ground only through its hooves, the hind feet also included a fleshy heel pad behind the hooves.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2025

Her custom track shoes, meanwhile, feature six spikes instead of the regular five and more cushion under the forefoot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2025

Johns owns two pairs of electronic socks from Snow Deer, which heat the toes and forefoot zone.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2024

"The first-of-its-kind forefoot rocker triggers forward momentum, resulting in record-breaking speed that improves the wearer's running economy," Adidas explained.

From DOGO News ● Oct. 3, 2023

She sat for just a moment, studying me, then raised her right forefoot in a hand-shaking gesture.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen

Then the researchers calculated how various limb phases, or measurements of the time lag between forefeet and hindfeet, fit onto the trackways.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 2, 2022

As Science Alert reported, some experts believe that sauropods' forefeet are the only ones that leave track marks on certain ground surfaces because their rear limbs support less weight, therefore make less of an impression.

From Fox News ● Jan. 28, 2020

After all, goes the theory, if we were barefoot, and our feet and bodies were not ravaged by years of misuse and disuse, we would run on our forefeet like the Tarahumara Indians.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 9, 2014

They wanted to land lightly on their forefeet, or they wouldn’t be in FiveFingers, but there was a disconnect between their intentions and their actual movements.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2011

Calvin held the forefeet open and up while Omar pierced the curling hair at the point where the sternum lay.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

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