Meaning & use
quick on your feet
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
able to think and react fast, especially in difficult or surprising situations
Grammar: Used after be or another linking verb, and the possessive word changes: she is quick on her feet.
Patterns
- be quick on your feet
- quick on his/her/their feet
The presenter was quick on her feet when the microphone stopped working and kept the audience laughing.
You have to be quick on your feet in this job because customers ask unexpected questions all day.
He is not the fastest runner, but he is quick on his feet mentally and solves problems before anyone else.
phrasefixed phrase
able to move quickly and balance well, especially in sports or dancing
Grammar: Often used for physical speed and balance; the possessive changes with the subject.
Patterns
- be quick on your feet
- stay quick on your feet
A good goalkeeper must be quick on his feet and able to change direction in a second.
She is quick on her feet and rarely loses her balance when the bus suddenly stops.
Dancers need to be quick on their feet and remember every step.
Common combinations
- be quick on your feet
- In a debate, you must be quick on your feet.
- quick on his feet
- The little boy is quick on his feet and hard to catch.
- quick on her feet
- She is quick on her feet when clients change their plans.
- quick on their feet
- The team stayed quick on their feet during the emergency.
- mentally quick on your feet
- Lawyers are trained to be mentally quick on their feet.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sharp
- Sharp means clever and quick to notice things, but it does not always suggest physical speed.
- agile
- Agile is more formal and often describes the body or a company's ability to change; it does not always include mental quickness.
- alert
- Alert means awake and ready to notice danger; it is less about reacting fast in conversation.
Opposites
Commonly confused: quick on your feet or light on your feet?
quick on your feet vs light on your feet
Light on your feet means moving in a delicate, graceful way, not thinking fast.
Practice
The manager was ______ when reporters asked her about the sudden change.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'quick on your feet' and the possessive matches the subject, so 'quick on her feet' is correct. 'Quick on her foot' is wrong because the phrase always uses the plural 'feet'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quick on your feet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.