Foot
/fʊt/
Definitions
4 meaningsThe terminal part of the leg upon which a person or animal stands and walks.
/fʊt/
The lower extremity of the leg below the ankle.
She has a small foot.
💡 Simply: Your foot is what you use to walk, run, and kick! It's at the end of your leg, and you need it to stand up. Imagine you're walking to get ice cream; that's your foot doing its job!
👶 For kids: The part of your body that you use to stand on and walk with!
More Examples
He broke his foot playing football.
The shoe fit my foot perfectly.
How It's Used
"The foot is composed of several bones, tendons, and ligaments."
"He stubbed his foot on the coffee table."
A unit of length, equal to twelve inches, especially in the imperial system.
/fʊt/
A unit of linear measurement.
The tree was over 100 feet tall.
💡 Simply: When you want to say how long something is, like a table, you can use the word 'foot.' It's like a ruler but for bigger things. Imagine your bed is 6 feet long; that means you'd need 6 of those foot-measurements to cover it!
👶 For kids: A way to measure how long something is. Like, 'My bed is six foots long!'
More Examples
The depth of the lake was estimated to be several feet.
The dimensions of the room are 12 feet by 10 feet.
How It's Used
"The room is 10 feet wide."
"The building is 200 feet tall."
The lowest part of something.
/fʊt/
The lowest part or base of something.
The foot of the statue was damaged.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're climbing a mountain; the 'foot' is the very bottom of the mountain, where you start to walk up. It means the lowest part of something. Like the 'foot' of a page has the page numbers.
👶 For kids: The bottom part of something, like the bottom of a mountain!
More Examples
He wrote a note at the foot of the document.
The river flowed at the foot of the valley.
How It's Used
"The foot of the mountain was covered in snow."
"The foot of the page had the author's notes."
To walk; to tread.
/fʊt/
To walk or move.
The explorers footed cautiously through the jungle.
💡 Simply: To 'foot' means to walk somewhere, but it's a bit old-fashioned. Imagine you are 'footing' down the street, meaning you're taking steps to walk down the street.
👶 For kids: To walk somewhere with your feet!
More Examples
She footed the trails along the coast.
The soldiers footed the mountain path.
How It's Used
"He footed the path cautiously."
"The soldiers footed the line."
Idioms & expressions
put one's foot in it
To say or do something tactless or embarrassing.
"I really put my foot in it when I asked about her ex-boyfriend."
have one foot in the grave
To be very old or near death.
"My grandfather, at 90, often jokes that he has one foot in the grave."
get off on the wrong foot
To begin a relationship or situation badly.
"They got off on the wrong foot with their new neighbor after a loud argument."
From Old English fōt, from Proto-Germanic *fōtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *pṓds. Cognate with German Fuß, Latin pēs.
The word 'foot' has been used since Old English to refer to the lower extremity and a unit of measurement. The figurative uses have developed over time.