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1. The lower extremity of the vertebrate leg that is in direct contact with the ground in standing or walking.
2. A structure used for locomotion or attachment in an invertebrate animal, such as the muscular organ extending from the ventral side of a mollusk.
3. Something suggestive of a foot in position or function, especially:
- The lowest part; the bottom: the foot of a mountain; the foot of a page.
- The end opposite the head, top, or front: the foot of a bed; the foot of a parade.
- The termination of the leg of a piece of furniture, especially when shaped or modeled.
- The part of a sewing machine that holds down and guides the cloth.
- Nautical The lower edge of a sail.
- Printing The part of a type body that forms the sides of the groove at the base.
- Botany The base of the sporophyte in mosses and liverworts.
4. The inferior part or rank: at the foot of the class.
5. The part of a stocking or high-topped boot that encloses the foot.
6.
- A manner of moving; a step: walks with a light foot.
- Speed or momentum, as in a race: "the only other Democrats who've demonstrated any foot till now" (Michael Kramer).
7. (used with a pl. verb) Foot soldiers; infantry.
8.
- A unit of poetic meter consisting of stressed and unstressed syllables in any of various set combinations. For example, an iambic foot has an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable.
- In classical quantitative verse, a unit of meter consisting of long and short syllables in any of various set combinations.
9. Abbr. ft. or ft A unit of length in the US Customary and British Imperial systems equal to 12 inches (0.3048 meter). See Table at measurement.
10. foots Sediment that forms during the refining of oil and other liquids; dregs.
- foot·ed, foot·ing, foots
v.intr.
1. To go on foot; walk. Often used with it: When their car broke down, they had to foot it the rest of the way.
2. To dance. Often used with it: "We foot it all the night / weaving olden dances" (William Butler Yeats).
3. Nautical To make headway; sail.
v.tr.
1. To go by foot over, on, or through; tread.
2. To execute the steps of (a dance).
3. To add up (a column of numbers) and write the sum at the bottom; total: footed up the bill.
4. To pay; defray: footed the expense of their children's education.
5. To provide (a stocking, for example) with a foot.
Idioms:
at (someone's) feet
Enchanted or fascinated by another.
best foot forward
A favorable initial impression: He always has his best foot forward when speaking to his constituents. Put your best foot forward during an employment interview.
feet of clay
An underlying weakness or fault: "They discovered to their vast discomfiture that their idol had feet of clay, after placing him upon a pedestal" (James Joyce).
foot in the door Slang
1. An initial point of or opportunity for entry.
2. A first step in working toward a goal.
get (one's) feet wet
To start a new activity or job.
have one foot in the grave Informal
To be on the verge of death, as from illness or severe trauma.
have (one's) feet on the ground
To be sensible and practical about one's situation.
on (one's) feet
1. Standing up: The crowd was on its feet for the last ten seconds.
2. Fully recovered, as after an illness or convalescence: The patient is on her feet again.
3. In a sound or stable operating condition: put the business back on its feet after years of mismanagement.
4. In an impromptu situation; extemporaneously: "Politicians provide easy targets for grammatical nitpickers because they have to think on their feet" (Springfield MA Morning Union).
on the right foot
In an auspicious manner: The project started off on the right foot but soon ran into difficulties.
on the wrong foot
In an inauspicious manner: The project started off on the wrong foot.
Usage Note: In Standard English, foot and feet have their own rules when they are used in combination with numbers to form expressions for units of measure: a four-foot plank, but not a four feet plank; also correct is a plank four feet long (or, less frequently, four foot long). When foot is combined with numbers greater than one to refer to simple distance, however, only the plural feet is used: a ledge 20 feet (not foot) away. At that speed, a car moves 88 feet (not foot) in a second.
Our Living Language In certain contexts, some people in New England and the South use constructions such as three foot and five mile in place of Standard English three feet and five miles. Some speakers extend this practice to measures of time, as in He was gone three year, though this is not as common. See Note at plural
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
foot
(fʊt)
n, pl feet (fiːt)
1. (Anatomy) the part of the vertebrate leg below the ankle joint that is in contact with the ground during standing and walking.
2. (Clothing & Fashion) the part of a garment that covers a foot
3. (Zoology) any of various organs of locomotion or attachment in invertebrates, including molluscs
4. (Botany) botany the lower part of some plant structures, as of a developing moss sporophyte embedded in the parental tissue
5. (Units)
- a unit of length equal to one third of a yard or 12 inches. 1 Imperial foot is equivalent to 0.3048 metre. Abbreviation: ft
- any of various units of length used at different times and places, typically about 10 per cent greater than the Imperial foot
6. any part resembling a foot in form or function: the foot of a chair.
7. the lower part of something; base; bottom: the foot of the page; the foot of a hill.
8. the end of a series or group: the foot of the list.
9. manner of walking or moving; tread; step: a heavy foot.
10. (Military)
- infantry, esp in the British army
- (as modifier): a foot soldier.
11. (Knitting & Sewing) any of various attachments on a sewing machine that hold the fabric in position, such as a presser foot for ordinary sewing and a zipper foot
12. (Music, other) music
- a unit used in classifying organ pipes according to their pitch, in terms of the length of an equivalent column of air
- this unit applied to stops and registers on other instruments
13. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) printing
- the margin at the bottom of a page
- the undersurface of a piece of type
14. (Poetry) prosody a group of two or more syllables in which one syllable has the major stress, forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm
15. a foot in the door an action, appointment, etc, that provides an initial step towards a desired goal, esp one that is not easily attainable
16. kick with the wrong foot Scot and Irish to be of the opposite religion to that which is regarded as acceptable or to that of the person who is speaking
17. my foot! an expression of disbelief, often of the speaker's own preceding statement: he didn't know, my foot! Of course he did!.
18. of foot archaic in manner of movement: fleet of foot.
19. on foot
- walking or running
- in progress; astir; afoot
20. one foot in the grave informal near to death
21. on the right foot informal in an auspicious manner
22. on the wrong foot informal in an inauspicious manner
23. put a foot wrong to make a mistake
24. put one's best foot forward
- to try to do one's best
- to hurry
25. put one's foot down informal
- to act firmly
- to increase speed (in a motor vehicle) by pressing down on the accelerator
26. put one's foot in it informal to blunder
27. set on foot to initiate or start (something)
28. tread under foot to oppress
29. under foot on the ground; beneath one's feet
vb
30. (Dancing) to dance to music (esp in the phrase foot it)
31. (tr) to walk over or set foot on; traverse (esp in the phrase foot it)
32. (tr) to pay the entire cost of (esp in the phrase foot the bill)
33. (usually foll by up) archaic or dialect to add up
[Old English fōt; related to Old Norse fōtr, Gothic fōtus, Old High German fuoz, Latin pēs, Greek pous, Sanskrit pad]
ˈfootless adj
Usage: In front of another noun, the plural for the unit of length is foot: a 20-foot putt; his 70-foot ketch. Foot can also be used instead of feet when mentioning a quantity and in front of words like tall: four foot of snow; he is at least six foot tall
Foot
(fʊt)
n
(Biography) Michael (Mackintosh). 1913–2010, British Labour politician and journalist; secretary of state for employment (1974–76); leader of the House of Commons (1976–79); leader of the Labour Party (1980–83)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
foot
(fʊt)
n., pl. feet for 1-4, 8-16, 19, 21; foots for 20;
1. (in vertebrates) the terminal part of the leg, below the ankle joint, on which the body stands and moves.
2. (in invertebrates) any part similar in position or function.
3. a unit of length, orig. derived from the length of the human foot, that is divided into 12 inches and equal to 30.48 centimeters. Abbr.: ft., f.
4. walking or running motion; pace: swift of foot.
5. quality or character of movement or motion; tread; step.
6. any part or thing resembling a foot, as in function, placement, or shape.
7. a shaped or ornamented feature terminating the lower part of a leg or serving as the base of a piece of furniture.
8. a rim, flange, or flaring part, often distinctively treated, serving as a base for a table furnishing or utensil, as a glass, teapot, or candlestick.
9. the part of a stocking, sock, etc., covering the foot.
10. an attachment on a sewing machine that holds and guides the fabric.
11. the lowest part, or bottom, as of a hill, ladder, or page.
12. a supporting part; base.
13. the part of anything opposite the top or head: the foot of a bed.
14. Print. the part of the type body that forms the sides of the groove, at the base.
15. the last, as of a series.
16. that which is written at the bottom, as the total of an account.
17. a group of syllables constituting a metrical unit of a verse.
18. Usu., foots.
- sediment or dregs.
- footlights.
19. Naut. the lower edge of a sail.
v.i.
20. to walk; go on foot (often fol. by it): We'll have to foot it.
21. to move the feet rhythmically, as to music or in dance (often fol. by it).
22. (of a boat) to move forward; sail.
v.t.
23. to walk or dance on.
24. to perform (a dance).
25. to traverse on or as if on foot.
26. to make or attach a foot to.
27. to pay or settle: to foot the bill.
28. to add (a column of figures) and set the sum at the foot.
29. to seize with talons, as a hawk.
30. to establish.
31. Archaic. to kick, esp. to kick away.
32. Obs. to set foot on.
Idioms:
1. get off on the right (or wrong) foot, to begin well (or badly).
2. on foot, by walking or running: to travel on foot.
3. put one's foot down, to take a firm stand; be decisive or determined.
4. put one's foot in one's mouth, to make an embarrassing blunder.
5. set foot on or in, to go on or into; enter: Don't set foot in this office again!
6. under foot, in the way.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English fōt]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
foot
(fo͝ot)
Plural feet (fēt)
A unit of length equal to 1/3 of a yard or 12 inches (about 30.5 centimeters). See Table at measurement.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
foot
1. part of the body
Your foot is the part of your body at the end of your leg. Your foot includes your toes.
He kept on running despite the pain in his foot.
When you use foot with this meaning, its plural is feet.
She's got very small feet.
If someone goes somewhere on foot, they walk, rather than using some form of transport.
The city should be explored on foot.
2. measurements
A foot is also a unit for measuring length, equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimetres. When foot has this meaning, its usual plural is feet.
We were only a few feet away from the edge of the cliff.
The planes flew at 65,000 feet.
However, you can use foot as the plural in front of words like high, tall, and long.
She's five foot eight inches tall.
You always use foot as the plural in front of another noun. For example, if a gap is twenty feet wide, you refer to it as a 'twenty foot gap'. Don't refer to it as a 'twenty feet gap'.
The prison was enclosed by a forty foot wall.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
foot
Past participle: footed Gerund: footingImperativefootfootPresentI footyou foothe/she/it footswe footyou footthey footPreteriteI footedyou footedhe/she/it footedwe footedyou footedthey footedPresent ContinuousI am footingyou are footinghe/she/it is footingwe are footingyou are footingthey are footingPresent PerfectI have footedyou have footedhe/she/it has footedwe have footedyou have footedthey have footedPast ContinuousI was footingyou were footinghe/she/it was footingwe were footingyou were footingthey were footingPast PerfectI had footedyou had footedhe/she/it had footedwe had footedyou had footedthey had footedFutureI will footyou will foothe/she/it will footwe will footyou will footthey will footFuture PerfectI will have footedyou will have footedhe/she/it will have footedwe will have footedyou will have footedthey will have footedFuture ContinuousI will be footingyou will be footinghe/she/it will be footingwe will be footingyou will be footingthey will be footingPresent Perfect ContinuousI have been footingyou have been footinghe/she/it has been footingwe have been footingyou have been footingthey have been footingFuture Perfect ContinuousI will have been footingyou will have been footinghe/she/it will have been footingwe will have been footingyou will have been footingthey will have been footingPast Perfect ContinuousI had been footingyou had been footinghe/she/it had been footingwe had been footingyou had been footingthey had been footingConditionalI would footyou would foothe/she/it would footwe would footyou would footthey would footPast ConditionalI would have footedyou would have footedhe/she/it would have footedwe would have footedyou would have footedthey would have footed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
foot
1. A metrical unit of a group of syllables, a unit of rhythm.
2. (ft) A unit of length equal to 12 inches.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.
human foot, pes
human, human being, man - any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage
calcaneus, heelbone, os tarsi fibulare - the largest tarsal bone; forms the human heel
arcuate artery, arteria arcuata - curved artery in the foot
arteria digitalis, digital arteries - arteries in the hand and foot that supply the fingers and toes
arteria metatarsea, metatarsal artery - dorsal and plantar arteries to the metatarsal region of the foot
intercapitular vein, vena intercapitalis - veins connecting the dorsal and palmar veins of the hand or the dorsal and plantar veins of the foot
metatarsal vein, vena metatarsus - dorsal and plantar branches of veins serving the metatarsal region of the foot
leg - a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
pedal extremity, vertebrate foot - the extremity of the limb in vertebrates
pes planus, splayfoot, flatfoot - a foot afflicted with a fallen arch; abnormally flattened and spread out
instep - the arch of the foot
sole - the underside of the foot
toe - one of the digits of the foot
big toe, great toe, hallux - the first largest innermost toe
little toe - the fifth smallest outermost toe
heel - the back part of the human foot
2.foot - a linear unit of length equal to 12 inches or a third of a yard; "he is six feet tall"
ft
linear measure, linear unit - a unit of measurement of length
in, inch - a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
yard, pace - a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
3.foot - the lower part of anything; "curled up on the foot of the bed"; "the foot of the page"; "the foot of the list"; "the foot of the mountain"
bottom - the lowest part of anything; "they started at the bottom of the hill"
head - the top of something; "the head of the stairs"; "the head of the page"; "the head of the list"
4.
animal foot
fossorial foot - foot adapted for digging as in moles
hoof - the foot of an ungulate mammal
bird's foot - the foot of a bird
webfoot - a foot having the toes connected by folds of skin
trotter - foot of a pig or sheep especially one used as food
forefoot - a front foot of a quadruped
hindfoot - a rear foot of a quadruped
paw - a clawed foot of an animal especially a quadruped
pedal extremity, vertebrate foot - the extremity of the limb in vertebrates
5.
understructure, base, groundwork, substructure, foundation, fundament
bed - a foundation of earth or rock supporting a road or railroad track; "the track bed had washed away"
raft foundation - a foundation (usually on soft ground) consisting of an extended layer of reinforced concrete
structure, construction - a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts; "the structure consisted of a series of arches"; "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons"
support - supporting structure that holds up or provides a foundation; "the statue stood on a marble support"
6.
invertebrate foot
invertebrate - any animal lacking a backbone or notochord; the term is not used as a scientific classification
tube foot - tentacular tubular process of most echinoderms (starfish and sea urchins and holothurians) having a sucker at the end and used for e.g. locomotion and respiration
organ - a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function
7.foot - travel by walking; "he followed on foot"; "the swiftest of foot"
walk - the act of walking somewhere; "he took a walk after lunch"
8.foot - a member of a surveillance team who works on foot or rides as a passenger
intelligence agent, intelligence officer, operative, secret agent - a person secretly employed in espionage for a government
9.
infantry
army unit - a military unit that is part of an army
armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker"
paratroops - infantry trained and equipped to parachute
10.
metrical foot, metrical unit
metrics, prosody - the study of poetic meter and the art of versification
cadence, metre, meter, measure, beat - (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
dactyl - a metrical unit with stressed-unstressed-unstressed syllables
iamb, iambus - a metrical unit with unstressed-stressed syllables
anapaest, anapest - a metrical unit with unstressed-unstressed-stressed syllables
amphibrach - a metrical unit with unstressed-stressed-unstressed syllables (e.g., `remember')
trochee - a metrical unit with stressed-unstressed syllables
spondee - a metrical unit with stressed-stressed syllables
dibrach, pyrrhic - a metrical unit with unstressed-unstressed syllables
11.foot - a support resembling a pedal extremity; "one foot of the chair was on the carpet"
leg - a cloth covering consisting of the part of a pair of trousers that covers a person's leg
support - any device that bears the weight of another thing; "there was no place to attach supports for a shelf"
Verb1.foot - pay for something; "pick up the tab"; "pick up the burden of high-interest mortgages"; "foot the bill"
pick
pay - give money, usually in exchange for goods or services; "I paid four dollars for this sandwich"; "Pay the waitress, please"
2.foot - walk; "let's hoof it to the disco"
hoof, hoof it, leg it
colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
walk - use one's feet to advance; advance by steps; "Walk, don't run!"; "We walked instead of driving"; "She walks with a slight limp"; "The patient cannot walk yet"; "Walk over to the cabinet"
3.foot - add a column of numbers
foot up
arithmetic - the branch of pure mathematics dealing with the theory of numerical calculations
add together, add - make an addition by combining numbers; "Add 27 and 49, please!"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
foot
plural noun
1. tootsies (informal) his aching arms and sore feet
Related words technical name pes adjective pedal
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
foot
noun
The lowest or supporting part or structure:
base, basis, bed, bottom, footing, foundation, fundament, ground, groundwork, seat, substratum, underpinning (often used in plural).