underfoot

[ uhn-der-foot ]

adverb

1. under the foot or feet; on the ground; underneath or below:

   The climb was difficult because there were so many rocks underfoot.

2. so as to form an obstruction, as in walking; in the way:

   the ends of her sash falling constantly underfoot.

adjective

1. lying under the foot or feet; in a position to be trodden upon.

underfoot

/ ˌʌndəˈfʊt /

adverb

1. underneath the feet; on the ground
2. in a position of subjugation or subservience
3. in the way

Word History and Origins

Origin of underfoot¹

1150–1200; Middle English underfot (adv.). See under-, foot

Example Sentences

That day I had on powder skis by East Coast standards, that were 98 millimeters underfoot.

From Outside Online

Camber underfoot and a full wood core is what adds to the pop, but that 92-millimeter waist width is a factor, too.

From Outside Online

The wires that connect the batteries to the heating panels in the sock may be more noticeable underfoot, but you can get a pair with ultra-thin wires that you’ll hardly feel.

From Popular-Science

Since the late 1990s, manufacturers tried to pawn off old-school frame bindings—the ones that elevate you off the ski and force you to lift an underfoot platform with each step—as the fix.

From Outside Online

In 1995, Atomic released the Powder Plus, one of the first fat skis, with a waist width of 95 millimeters underfoot.

From Outside Online

It is very unlikely though that there is an epidemic underfoot in California.

From The Daily Beast

They wish to indulge their sense of power, which is best done by grinding underfoot those who cannot retaliate.

From The Daily Beast

Not while I had the open prairie underfoot and the summer sky above, and hands to strike a blow or pull a trigger.

From Project Gutenberg

The walls were covered with silk and velvet hangings, ornamented with gold fringe, while rich carpets were spread underfoot.

From Project Gutenberg

But, underfoot, beyond question, lay nothing but the broken heaps of stones that betokened a building long since crumbled to dust.

From Project Gutenberg

The ground shook and shook underfoot, each shock seeming greater, to add its strength to the one preceding it.

From Project Gutenberg

They trod a strange soil, strange flowers underfoot, strange birds in the air, strange leaves on the trees.

From Project Gutenberg