foot
foot [foot foots footed footing] noun, verb BrE [fʊt] NAmE [fʊt] noun (pl. feetBrE [fiːt] ; NAmE [fiːt] ) PART OF BODY 1. countable the lowest part of the leg, below the ankle, on which a person or an animal stands • My feet are aching. •to get/rise to your feet (= stand up) • I've been on my feet (= standing or walking around) all day. •We came on foot (= we walked). •Come on lads— on your feet and do some work! •walking around the house in bare feet (= not wearing shoes or socks) •Please wipe your feet (= your shoes) on the mat. •Daniel was shifting anxiously from foot to foot. •a foot pump (= operated using your foot, not your hand) •a foot passenger (= one who travels on a ↑ferry without a car) see also ↑athlete's foot, ↑barefoot, ↑club foot, ↑underfoot -FOOTED 2. (in adjectives and adverbs)having or using the type or number of foot/feet mentioned •bare-footed •four-footed •a left-footed shot into the corner see also ↑flat-footed, ↑sure-footed PART OF SOCK 3. countable, usually singular the part of a sock, ↑stocking, etc. that covers the foot BASE/BOTTOM 4. singular the ~ of sth the lowest part of sth; the base or bottom of sth •the foot of the stairs/page/mountain • The nurse hung a chart at the foot of the bed (= the part of the bed where your feet normally are when you are lying in it). MEASUREMENT 5. (pl. feetor foot)(abbr.ft)a unit for measuring length equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimetres •a 6-foot high wall • We're flying at 35 000 feet. • ‘How tall are you?’ ‘Five foot nine’ (= five feet and nine inches). -FOOTER 6. (in compound nouns)a person or thing that is a particular number of feet tall or long •His boat is an eighteen-footer. •Both my brothers are six-footers. IN POETRY 7. singular (technical)a unit of rhythm in a line of poetry containing one stressed syllable and one or more syllables without stress. Each of the four divisions in the following line is a foot •For ˈmen / may ˈcome / and ˈmen / may ˈgo. more at the boot is on the other foot at ↑boot n., get/have cold feet at ↑cold adj., drag your feet/heels at ↑drag v., find your feet at ↑find v., not let the grass grow under your feet at ↑grass n., cut the ground from under sb's feet at ↑ground n., bind/tie sb hand and foot at ↑hand n., from head to foot/toe at ↑head n., (get/have) itchy feet at ↑itchy, have two left feet at ↑left adj., the patter of tiny feet at ↑patter n., pull the rug (out) from under sb's feet at ↑pull v., the shoe is on the other foot at ↑shoe n., shoot yourself in the foot at ↑shoot v., sit at sb's feet at ↑sit, in your stocking(ed) feet at ↑stocking, sweep sb off their feet at ↑sweep v., think on your feet at ↑think v., vote with your feet at ↑vote v., wait on sb hand and foot at ↑wait v., walk sb off their feet at ↑walk v., take the weight off your feet at ↑weight n., have the world at your feet at ↑world Word Origin: Old English fōt, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch voet and German Fuss, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit pad, pāda, Greek pous, pod-, and Latin pes, ped- ‘foot’. Collocations: Physical appearance A person may be described as having: Eyes (bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/(informal) shifty eyes piercing/penetrating/steely eyes bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes bushy/thick/dark/raised/arched eyebrows long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes Face a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose a straight/a hooked/a Roman/(formal) an aquiline nose full/thick/thin/pouty lips dry/chapped/cracked lips flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks soft/chubby/sunken cheeks white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth a large/high/broad/wide/sloping forehead a strong/weak/pointed/double chin a long/full/bushy/wispy/goatee beard a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil moustache/ (especially US) mustache Hair and skin pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion deep/fine/little/facial wrinkles blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/(BrE) ginger/grey hair straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair a bald/balding/shaved head a receding hairline a bald patch/spot a side/centre/(US) center (BrE) parting/ (NAmE) part Body a long/short/thick/slender/(disapproving) scrawny neck broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest a flat/swollen/bulging stomach a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist big/wide/narrow/slim hips a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back thin/slender/muscular arms big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers long/muscular/hairy/shapely/(both informal, often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs muscular/chubby/(informal, disapproving) flabby thighs big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet a good/a slim/a slender/an hourglass figure be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build Synonyms: bottom base • foundation • foot These are all words for the lowest part of sth. bottom • [usually sing.] the lowest part of sth: ▪ Footnotes are given at the bottom of each page. ◇ ▪ I waited for them at the bottom of the hill. base • [usually sing.] the lowest part of sth, especially the part or surface on which it rests or stands: ▪ The lamp has a heavy base. foundation • [usually pl.] a layer of bricks, concrete, etc. that forms the solid underground base of a building: ▪ to ▪ lay the foundations ▪ of the new school foot • [sing.] the lowest part of sth: ▪ At the foot of the stairs she turned to face him. bottom or foot? Foot is used to talk about a limited number of things: it is used most often with tree, hill/mountain, steps/stairs and page. Bottom can be used to talk about a much wider range of things, including those mentioned above for foot. Foot is generally used in more literary contexts. at/near/towards the bottom/base/foot of sth on the bottom/base of sth (a) firm/solid/strong base/foundation(s) Synonyms: stand get up • stand up • rise • get to your feet • be on your feet These words all mean to be in an upright position with your weight on your feet, or to put yourself in this position. stand • to be in an upright position with your weight on your feet: ▪ She was too weak to stand. ◇ ▪ Stand still ▪ when I'm talking to you! Stand is usually used with an adverb or prepositional phrase to show where or how sb stands, but sometimes another phrase or clause is used to show what sb does while they are standing: ▪ We stood talking for a few minutes. ◇ ▪ He stood and looked out to sea. get up • to get into a standing position from a sitting, kneeling or lying position: ▪ Please don't get up! stand up • to be in a standing position; to stand after sitting: ▪ Stand up straight! ◇ ▪ Everyone would stand up when the teacher entered the classroom. stand, get up or stand up? Stand usually means ‘to be in a standing position’ but can also mean ‘to get into a standing position’. Stand up can be used with either of these meanings, but its use is more restricted: it is used especially when sb tells sb or a group of people to stand. Get up is the most frequent way of saying ‘get into a standing position’, and this can be from a sitting, kneeling or lying position; if you stand up, this is nearly always after sitting, especially on a chair. If you want to tell sb politely that they do not need to move from their chair, use get up: Please don't stand up! rise • (formal) to get into a standing position from a sitting, kneeling or lying position: ▪ Would you all rise, please, to welcome our visiting speaker. get to your feet • to stand up after sitting, kneeling or lying: ▪ I helped her to get to her feet. be on your feet • to be standing up: ▪ I've been on my feet all day. Example Bank: •Foot passengers were allowed to leave the ferry before the vehicles. •He raised his foot off the accelerator pedal. •He shifted his weight onto his back foot. •He swung a foot at the ball but missed completely. •He's broken several bones in his left foot. •His foot caught in the cable and he fell under the train. •My foot slipped as I was about to shoot and I missed the ball. •She kicked the ball with her right foot. •She put her foot down on the accelerator and the car lurched forward. •She was dressed from head to foot in green velvet. •She was tapping her foot impatiently. •That man trod on my foot and he didn't even apologize. •The city is best explored on foot. •They looked unsure and shifted uneasily from foot to foot. •soldiers on foot patrol •At the foot of the stairs she turned to face him. Idioms: ↑fall on your feet ▪ ↑feet first ▪ ↑foot the bill ▪ ↑get a foot in the door ▪ ↑get off on the right foot ▪ ↑get your feet wet ▪ ↑have a foot in both camps ▪ ↑have feet of clay ▪ ↑have one foot in the grave ▪ ↑have your feet on the ground ▪ ↑on your feet ▪ ↑put a foot wrong ▪ ↑put your best foot forward ▪ ↑put your feet up ▪ ↑put your foot down ▪ ↑put your foot in it ▪ ↑run off your feet ▪ ↑set foot in something ▪ ↑set somebody on its feet ▪ ↑stand on your own feet ▪ ↑under your feet ▪ ↑… my foot! verb Verb forms: Word Origin: Old English fōt, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch voet and German Fuss, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit pad, pāda, Greek pous, pod-, and Latin pes, ped- ‘foot’. See also: ↑put your foot in your mouth
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