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Meaning & use

best foot forward

phrase·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌbest fʊt ˈfɔːwəd/
US/ˌbest fʊt ˈfɔːrwərd/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiom

    To try hard to look your most capable and likeable, especially at the start of a new situation, such as a job or a meeting.

    Grammar: Appears as put your best foot forward, with a possessive that matches the subject.

    Patterns

    • put your best foot forward
    • put his best foot forward

    On your first day at work, put your best foot forward and ask questions.

    She put her best foot forward at the interview and got the job.

    The team wanted to put its best foot forward in front of the new manager.

  2. phraseidiomold-fashioned

    To walk or move as fast as you can, or to make your strongest possible effort to get something done.

    Grammar: Slightly older, more literal use, often when time is short.

    Patterns

    • put your best foot forward to do something

    We have only ten minutes, so let's put our best foot forward.

    He put his best foot forward to catch the last train.

    The runners put their best foot forward in the final lap.

Common combinations

put your best foot forward
Put your best foot forward when you meet the client.
put their best foot forward
Both candidates put their best foot forward in the debate.
put our best foot forward
We need to put our best foot forward in this presentation.
put your best foot forward at an interview
Dress neatly to put your best foot forward at an interview.
always put your best foot forward
Always put your best foot forward, even in small tasks.

Synonyms and how they differ

make a good impression
Make a good impression is plain and focuses on how others see you, while the idiom suggests active effort.
do your best
Do your best means try as hard as you can generally, without the idea of a first impression.
show yourself in the best light
Show yourself in the best light is more formal and stresses presentation of your strengths.
go all out
Go all out means to make an extreme effort and is stronger and less about creating a favorable impression.

Opposites

take it easy

Word family

foot noun
the body part at the end of the leg
forward adverb
toward the front or the future
best adjective
of the highest quality
footing noun
a secure position or basis

Commonly confused: best foot forward or best foot first?

best foot forward vs best foot first

Some people say best foot first, but the standard idiom is best foot forward.

Practice

Before the interview, my mother told me to put my ____ forward.

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