foottop: a human footbottom: on a sewing machinefoot (fo?ot)n. pl. feet (f?t) 1. The lower extremity of the vertebrate leg that is in direct contact with the ground in standing or walking.2. A structure used for locomotion or attachment in an invertebrate animal, such as the muscular organ extending from the ventral side of a mollusk.3. Something suggestive of a foot in position or function, especially:a. The lowest part; the bottom: the foot of a mountain; the foot of a page.b. The end opposite the head, top, or front: the foot of a bed; the foot of a parade.c. The termination of the leg of a piece of furniture, especially when shaped or modeled.d. The part of a sewing machine that holds down and guides the cloth.e. Nautical The lower edge of a sail.f. Printing The part of a type body that forms the sides of the groove at the base.g. Botany The base of the sporophyte in mosses and liverworts.4. The inferior part or rank: at the foot of the class.5. The part of a stocking or high-topped boot that encloses the foot.6. a. A manner of moving; a step: walks with a light foot.b. Speed or momentum, as in a race: “the only other Democrats who’ve demonstrated any foot till now” (Michael Kramer).7. (used with a pl. verb) Foot soldiers; infantry.8. a. A unit of poetic meter consisting of stressed and unstressed syllables in any of various set combinations. For example, an iambic foot has an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable.b. In classical quantitative verse, a unit of meter consisting of long and short syllables in any of various set combinations.9. Abbr. ft. or ft A unit of length in the US Customary and British Imperial systems equal to 12 inches (0.3048 meter). See Table at measurement.10. foots Sediment that forms during the refining of oil and other liquids; dregs.v. foot·ed, foot·ing, foots v.intr.1. To go on foot; walk. Often used with it: When their car broke down, they had to foot it the rest of the way.2. To dance. Often used with it: “We foot it all the night / weaving olden dances” (William Butler Yeats).3. Nautical To make headway; sail.v.tr.1. To go by foot over, on, or through; tread.2. To execute the steps of (a dance).3. To add up (a column of numbers) and write the sum at the bottom; total: footed up the bill.4. To pay; defray: footed the expense of their children’s education.5. To provide (a stocking, for example) with a foot.Idioms: at (someone’s) feet Enchanted or fascinated by another. best foot forward A favorable initial impression: He always has his best foot forward when speaking to his constituents. Put your best foot forward during an employment interview. feet of clay An underlying weakness or fault: “They discovered to their vast discomfiture that their idol had feet of clay, after placing him upon a pedestal” (James Joyce). foot in the door Slang 1. An initial point of or opportunity for entry.2. A first step in working toward a goal. get (one’s) feet wet To start a new activity or job. have one foot in the grave Informal To be on the verge of death, as from illness or severe trauma. have (one’s) feet on the ground To be sensible and practical about one’s situation. on (one’s) feet1. Standing up: The crowd was on its feet for the last ten seconds.2. Fully recovered, as after an illness or convalescence: The patient is on her feet again.3. In a sound or stable operating condition: put the business back on its feet after years of mismanagement.4. In an impromptu situation; extemporaneously: “Politicians provide easy targets for grammatical nitpickers because they have to think on their feet” (Springfield MA Morning Union). on the right foot In an auspicious manner: The project started off on the right foot but soon ran into difficulties. on the wrong foot In an inauspicious manner: The project started off on the wrong foot.[Middle English fot, from Old English f?t; see ped- in Indo-European roots.]Usage Note: In Standard English, foot and feet have their own rules when they are used in combination with numbers to form expressions for units of measure: a four-foot plank, but not a four feet plank; also correct is a plank four feet long (or, less frequently, four foot long). When foot is combined with numbers greater than one to refer to simple distance, however, only the plural feet is used: a ledge 20 feet (not foot) away. At that speed, a car moves 88 feet (not foot) in a second.Our Living Language In certain contexts, some people in New England and the South use constructions such as three foot and five mile in place of Standard English three feet and five miles. Some speakers extend this practice to measures of time, as in He was gone three year, though this is not as common. See Note at pluralAmerican Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.foot (f?t) n, pl feet (fi?t) 1. (Anatomy) the part of the vertebrate leg below the ankle joint that is in contact with the ground during standing and walking. 2. (Clothing & Fashion) the part of a garment that covers a foot3. (Zoology) any of various organs of locomotion or attachment in invertebrates, including molluscs4. (Botany) botany the lower part of some plant structures, as of a developing moss sporophyte embedded in the parental tissue5. (Units) a. a unit of length equal to one third of a yard or 12 inches. 1 Imperial foot is equivalent to 0.3048 metre. Abbreviation: ft b. any of various units of length used at different times and places, typically about 10 per cent greater than the Imperial foot6. any part resembling a foot in form or function: the foot of a chair. 7. the lower part of something; base; bottom: the foot of the page; the foot of a hill. 8. the end of a series or group: the foot of the list. 9. manner of walking or moving; tread; step: a heavy foot. 10. (Military) a. infantry, esp in the British armyb. (as modifier): a foot soldier. 11. (Knitting & Sewing) any of various attachments on a sewing machine that hold the fabric in position, such as a presser foot for ordinary sewing and a zipper foot12. (Music, other) music a. a unit used in classifying organ pipes according to their pitch, in terms of the length of an equivalent column of airb. this unit applied to stops and registers on other instruments13. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) printing a. the margin at the bottom of a pageb. the undersurface of a piece of type14. (Poetry) prosody a group of two or more syllables in which one syllable has the major stress, forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm15. a foot in the door an action, appointment, etc, that provides an initial step towards a desired goal, esp one that is not easily attainable16. kick with the wrong foot Scot and Irish to be of the opposite religion to that which is regarded as acceptable or to that of the person who is speaking17. my foot! an expression of disbelief, often of the speaker’s own preceding statement: he didn’t know, my foot! Of course he did!. 18. of foot archaic in manner of movement: fleet of foot. 19. on foot a. walking or runningb. in progress; astir; afoot20. one foot in the grave informal near to death21. on the right foot informal in an auspicious manner22. on the wrong foot informal in an inauspicious manner23. put a foot wrong to make a mistake24. put one’s best foot forward a. to try to do one’s bestb. to hurry25. put one’s foot down informal a. to act firmlyb. to increase speed (in a motor vehicle) by pressing down on the accelerator26. put one’s foot in it informal to blunder27. set on foot to initiate or start (something)28. tread under foot to oppress29. under foot on the ground; beneath one’s feetvb30. (Dancing) to dance to music (esp in the phrase foot it)31. (tr) to walk over or set foot on; traverse (esp in the phrase foot it)32. (tr) to pay the entire cost of (esp in the phrase foot the bill)33. (usually foll by up) archaic or dialect to add up[Old English f?t; related to Old Norse f?tr, Gothic f?tus, Old High German fuoz, Latin p?s, Greek pous, Sanskrit pad] ?footless adjUsage: In front of another noun, the plural for the unit of length is foot: a 20-foot putt; his 70-foot ketch. Foot can also be used instead of feet when mentioning a quantity and in front of words like tall: four foot of snow; he is at least six foot tallFoot (f?t) n (Biography) Michael (Mackintosh). 1913?2010, British Labour politician and journalist; secretary of state for employment (1974?76); leader of the House of Commons (1976?79); leader of the Labour Party (1980?83)Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014foot (f?t) n., pl. feet for 1-4, 8-16, 19, 21; foots for 20; 1. (in vertebrates) the terminal part of the leg, below the ankle joint, on which the body stands and moves. 2. (in invertebrates) any part similar in position or function. 3. a unit of length, orig. derived from the length of the human foot, that is divided into 12 inches and equal to 30.48 centimeters. Abbr.: ft., f. 4. walking or running motion; pace: swift of foot. 5. quality or character of movement or motion; tread; step. 6. any part or thing resembling a foot, as in function, placement, or shape. 7. a shaped or ornamented feature terminating the lower part of a leg or serving as the base of a piece of furniture. 8. a rim, flange, or flaring part, often distinctively treated, serving as a base for a table furnishing or utensil, as a glass, teapot, or candlestick. 9. the part of a stocking, sock, etc., covering the foot. 10. an attachment on a sewing machine that holds and guides the fabric. 11. the lowest part, or bottom, as of a hill, ladder, or page. 12. a supporting part; base. 13. the part of anything opposite the top or head: the foot of a bed. 14. Print. the part of the type body that forms the sides of the groove, at the base. 15. the last, as of a series. 16. that which is written at the bottom, as the total of an account. 17. a group of syllables constituting a metrical unit of a verse. 18. Usu., foots. a. sediment or dregs. b. footlights. 19. Naut. the lower edge of a sail. v.i. 20. to walk; go on foot (often fol. by it): We’ll have to foot it. 21. to move the feet rhythmically, as to music or in dance (often fol. by it). 22. (of a boat) to move forward; sail. v.t. 23. to walk or dance on. 24. to perform (a dance). 25. to traverse on or as if on foot. 26. to make or attach a foot to. 27. to pay or settle: to foot the bill. 28. to add (a column of figures) and set the sum at the foot. 29. to seize with talons, as a hawk. 30. to establish. 31. Archaic. to kick, esp. to kick away. 32. Obs. to set foot on. Idioms: 1. get off on the right (or wrong) foot, to begin well (or badly). 2. on foot, by walking or running: to travel on foot. 3. put one’s foot down, to take a firm stand; be decisive or determined. 4. put one’s foot in one’s mouth, to make an embarrassing blunder. 5. set foot on or in, to go on or into; enter: Don’t set foot in this office again! 6. under foot, in the way. [before 900; Middle English; Old English f?t] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.foot (fo?ot) Plural feet (f?t) A unit of length equal to 1/3 of a yard or 12 inches (about 30.5 centimeters). See Table at measurement.The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.foot1. part of the bodyYour foot is the part of your body at the end of your leg. Your foot includes your toes.When you use foot with this meaning, its plural is feet.If someone goes somewhere on foot, they walk, rather than using some form of transport.A foot is also a unit for measuring length, equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimetres. When foot has this meaning, its usual plural is feet.However, you can use foot as the plural in front of words like high, tall, and long.You always use foot as the plural in front of another noun. For example, if a gap is twenty feet wide, you refer to it as a ‘twenty foot gap’. Don’t refer to it as a ‘twenty feet gap’.