Meaning & use
find my feet
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
To become confident and comfortable in a new situation or activity, especially after a period of adjustment.
Grammar: The possessive adjective changes with the subject: I found my feet, you found your feet, he found his feet, etc. It is not used with an object; you don't 'find someone's feet' for them.
Patterns
- find your feet
- find your feet in something
- help someone find their feet
It took me a few weeks to find my feet in my new job.
The internship is a great chance for young people to find their feet in the industry.
After moving to a new city, she slowly found her feet and made friends.
Common combinations
- find your feet in a new job
- He found his feet in the new job after a month of training.
- help someone find their feet
- The mentor helped the new interns find their feet.
- take time to find your feet
- Don't worry if you haven't settled in yet; it takes time to find your feet.
Synonyms and how they differ
- settle in
- Means to become comfortable in a new place or situation; 'find your feet' emphasizes gaining confidence, while 'settle in' focuses more on adjusting to the environment.
- get used to
- Means to become familiar with something; 'find your feet' is more about overall confidence and comfort, not just familiarity.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: find my feet or find your way?
find my feet vs find your way
'Find your way' means to discover the route to a place. 'Find your feet' means to become confident in a new situation, not to navigate physically.
Practice
Complete the sentence: After starting university, it took Sarah a while to ______.
Choose one answer.
The idiom is 'find your feet', and the possessive must match the subject 'Sarah', so 'her feet' is correct. 'Find her foot' is wrong because the idiom uses the plural 'feet'. 'Find feet' lacks the possessive, and 'find the feet' is not the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “find my feet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.