toe

[ toh ]

/ toʊ /

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See synonyms for toe on Thesaurus.com

noun

one of the terminal digits of the human foot.

an analogous part in certain animals.

the forepart of the foot or hoof of a horse or the like.

the forepart of anything worn on the foot, as of a shoe or stocking.

a part resembling a toe in shape or position.

Railroads. the end of a frog in front of the point and in the direction of the switch.

Machinery.

a journal or part placed vertically in a bearing, as the lower end of a vertical shaft.
a curved partial cam lifting the flat surface of a follower and letting it drop; wiper.

Golf. the outer end of the head of a club.

verb (used with object), toed, toe·ing.

to furnish with a toe or toes.

to touch or reach with the toes: The pitcher toed the mound, wound up, and threw a fastball.

to kick with the toe.

Golf. to strike (the ball) with the toe of the club.

Carpentry.

to drive (a nail) obliquely.
to toenail.

verb (used without object), toed, toe·ing.

to stand, walk, etc., with the toes in a specified position: to toe in.

to tap with the toe, as in dancing.

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Idioms about toe

on one's toes, energetic; alert; ready: The spirited competition kept them on their toes.

step / tread on someone's toes, to offend (a person); encroach on the territory or sphere of responsibility of (another): The new employee stepped on a lot of toes when he suggested reorganizing the office.

toe the line. line¹ (def. 83).

Origin of toe

before 900; Middle English; Old English tā; cognate with Dutch teen,German Zehe,Old Norse tā

OTHER WORDS FROM toe

toeless, adjectivetoelike, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH toe

toe , tow

Words nearby toe

to death, to-do, to-do list, Todt, tody, toe, toea, to each his own, toe and heel, toebie, toe box

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use toe in a sentence

Plus, as Mast points out, once people dip their toe in with plants, they often don’t stop at one.
Online garden shop Bloomscape raises $15M Series B, acquires plant care app Vera|Sarah Perez|September 30, 2020|TechCrunch
With styles that say things like, “Inner Demons Do the Darndest Things”, you will be hard-pressed to find a pair that won’t add some spark to your toes.
Socks that make great gifts|PopSci Commerce Team|September 30, 2020|Popular-Science
Over the years, there have been many many major algorithm updates, as Google worked to keep us on our toes.
Google ranking factors to change search in 2021: Core Web Vitals, E-A-T, or AMP?|Aleh Barysevich|September 16, 2020|Search Engine Watch
He had the toe tag on at least as a Bear in the fourth quarter Sunday, and then he makes history with an epic comeback.
We Knew A Football Team Would Win In Week 1. But Maybe Not ‘Football Team.’|Sara Ziegler (sara.ziegler@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 14, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

If we have a rapt audience, and if we can help big organizations dip their toes into the audio space by creating beautiful branded content that has an integrated feel, that’s awesome.
Wonder Media Network CMO Shira Atkins on making (and selling) branded podcasts|Pierre Bienaimé|September 8, 2020|Digiday
“James Woods refuses to toe the Hollyweird line,” Twitchy managing editor Lori Ziganto told The Daily Beast in an email.
How James Woods Became Obama’s Biggest Twitter Troll|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Republican elected officials tend not to toe the conservative line, in part for political reasons.
The GOP and Police Unions: A Love Story|Eleanor Clift|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I would just say that we've put our toe in the water,” she told me.
I Got Kicked Out Of The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show|Nico Hines|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So what if you can barely twitch a toe let alone move a leg?
Flying Coach Is the New Hell: How Airlines Engineer You Out of Room|Clive Irving|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These self-dubbed gear heads go toe to toe (or perhaps more accurately, crash to crash), with the men in the sport.
The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture|Eliza Krigman|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the "Y" Beach lot press their advantage they may cut off the enemy troops on the toe of the Peninsula.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
The Staff have made up their minds that we should be very much in the wrong box if we dossed down on the toe of the Peninsula.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Metal buttons or pistons located on the toe piece of the pedal-board were introduced by the ingenious Casavant of Canada.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
These toe-pistons form an additional and most convenient means for bringing the stops into and out of action.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
In large organs two or three adjustable toe pistons are also provided to give independent control of the Pedal organ.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for toe

toe

/ (təʊ) /

noun

any one of the digits of the foot

the corresponding part in other vertebrates

the part of a shoe, sock, etc, covering the toes

anything resembling a toe in shape or position

the front part of the head of a golf club, hockey stick, etc

the lower bearing of a vertical shaft assembly

the tip of a cam follower that engages the cam profile

dip one's toe in or dip one's toes in informal to begin doing or try something new or unfamiliar

on one's toes alert

tread on someone's toes to offend or insult a person, esp by trespassing on his or her field of responsibility

turn up one's toes informal to die

Australian slang speeda player with plenty of toe

verb toes, toeing or toed

(tr) to touch, kick, or mark with the toe

(tr) golf to strike (the ball) with the toe of the club

(tr) to drive (a nail, spike, etc) obliquely

(intr) to walk with the toes pointing in a specified directionto toe inwards

toe the line to conform to expected standards, attitudes, etc

Derived forms of toe

toelike, adjective

Word Origin for toe

Old English tā; related to Old Frisian tāne, Old Norse tā, Old High German zēha, Latin digitus finger

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 Idioms and Phrases with toe

toe

In addition to the idiom beginning with toe

toe the line

also see:

dip one's toes into
from head to toe
on one's toes
step on someone's toes
turn up one's toes