instep
Americannoun
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insteps
plural
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the arched upper surface of the human foot between the toes and the ankle.
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the part of a shoe, stocking, etc., covering this surface.
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the front of the hind leg of a horse, cow, etc., between the hock and the pastern joint; cannon.
noun
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the middle section of the human foot, forming the arch between the ankle and toes
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the part of a shoe, stocking, etc, covering this
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of instep
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:
One player complained that Berhalter, a defender, delivered passes that had too much spin on them, so he spent hours learning to kick the ball with the laces of his boot instead of the instep.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2022
He brought down one long pass to him during the recent Merseyside derby against Everton with the instep of his right foot that he had tucked behind his left leg.
From Seattle Times ● May 4, 2022
The presenting diagnosis is diffuse gangrenous inflammation and infiltration of connective tissue of the entire lower right extremity, extending from the instep upward to the buttock.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021
And he adds to that a goalscoring threat, possessing a lovely method of curling the ball with the instep of his right foot, giving him another weapon when cutting inside from the left wing.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2021
At the last second, I turn my hips and shoot hard with my left instep.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Because December 2006's goal of the month contest was powerful stuff; a 100%-proof cocktail of hollering commentators and screaming shots as semtex insteps hit the ball with gleeful abandon.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2024
As the ball rebounds off the hardwood floor he catches it with his feet, still dangling, and taps it around with his insteps, soccer-style.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2016
Women are so accustomed to the expectation that shoes will be uncomfortable—they will chafe our heels, or squash our toes, or make our insteps ache—that slipping on Birkenstocks felt revelatory.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 16, 2015
Feet often create rhythm as dancers travel around the space; but insteps are not part of the dance texture, and often feet are planted firm while the rest of the body dances.
From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2014
They didn’t drive the ball with their insteps, they just stubbed it with their toes.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
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.
