Meaning & use
foot
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Meanings
nouncountable
The part of the body at the end of the leg, below the ankle, that you stand and walk on.
Grammar: Plural is feet, not foots.
Patterns
- on foot
- on your feet
She hurt her foot when she dropped a book.
The baby wiggled her tiny feet in the air.
He stood on one foot to balance.
nouncountable
A unit of length equal to twelve inches, about thirty centimeters.
Grammar: In measurements, both foot and feet can follow a number: a six-foot fence, six feet tall.
Patterns
- ten feet long
- a six-foot wall
The table is six feet long.
He is nearly six foot tall.
They dug a hole three feet deep.
nounsingular
The lowest part of something, such as a hill, stairs, page or bed.
Grammar: Usually the foot of something.
Patterns
- the foot of something
We camped at the foot of the mountain.
He left his shoes at the foot of the stairs.
Sign your name at the foot of the page.
verbtransitiveinformal
To pay a bill or cost, especially in the phrase foot the bill.
Grammar: Takes an object, usually bill: foot the bill.
Patterns
- foot the bill for something
Who will foot the bill for the repairs?
The company footed the bill for the whole trip.
His parents footed the cost of his studies.
verbtransitiveinformalBritish
To go on foot, often in the phrase foot it.
Grammar: Informal and chiefly British.
Patterns
- foot it
The bus broke down, so we footed it home.
They footed it across the field to the station.
I'd rather foot it than wait in traffic.
Word forms
| plural | feet |
|---|---|
| third person singular | foots |
| past tense | footed |
| past participle | footed |
| -ing form | footing |
Common combinations
- on foot
- We went into town on foot.
- get cold feet
- He got cold feet just before the wedding.
- foot the bill
- The city will foot the bill for the new park.
- the foot of the stairs
- She waited at the foot of the stairs.
- put your foot down
- I had to put my foot down about bedtime.
- set foot in
- He never set foot in the building again.
Synonyms and how they differ
- paw
- Paw names the foot of an animal such as a dog or cat, while foot is used for people and animals.
- base
- Base is a neutral word for the lowest part of something, whereas foot suits hills, stairs and pages.
- bottom
- Bottom is wider and used for any lowest part, but foot gives a spatial sense of a slope or bed.
- pay
- Pay is the plain verb, but foot the bill specifically means taking on a large cost.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: foot or feet?
foot vs feet
Feet is the plural of foot for the body part and for measurement; 'foots' is not used as a plural.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
Feet is the irregular plural of foot. Foots, feets and footes are not English plurals.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “foot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.