(feet)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
Your feet are the parts of your body that are at the ends of your legs, and that you stand on.
She stamped her ~ again.
...a ~ injury.
...his aching arms and sore feet.
N-COUNT
-~ed
She was bare-~ed.
...pink-~ed geese.
COMB in ADJ
2.
The ~ of something is the part that is farthest from its top.
David called to the children from the ~ of the stairs...
A single word at the ~ of a page caught her eye.
= bottom
? head, top
N-SING: usu the N of n
3.
The ~ of a bed is the end nearest to the feet of the person lying in it.
Friends stood at the ~ of the bed, looking at her with serious faces.
? head
N-SING: usu the N of n
4.
A ~ is a unit for measuring length, height, or depth, and is equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimetres. When you are giving measurements, the form ‘~’ is often used as the plural instead of the plural form ‘feet’.
This beautiful and curiously shaped lake lies at around fifteen thousand feet...
He occupies a cell 10 ~ long, 6 ~ wide and 10 ~ high...
I have to give my height in feet and inches.
N-COUNT: usu num N, oft num N adj
5.
A ~ brake or ~ pump is operated by your ~ rather than by your hand.
I tried to reach the ~ brakes but I couldn’t.
ADJ: ADJ n
6.
A ~ patrol or ~ soldiers walk rather than travelling in vehicles or on horseback.
Paratroopers and ~-soldiers entered the building on the government’s behalf.
ADJ: ADJ n
7.
see also ~ing
8.
If you get cold feet about something, you become nervous or frightened about it because you think it will fail.
The Government is getting cold feet about the reforms.
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR about n
9.
If you say that someone is finding their feet in a new situation, you mean that they are starting to feel confident and to deal with things successfully.
I don’t know anyone in England but I am sure I will manage when I find my feet...
PHRASE: V inflects
10.
If you say that someone has their feet on the ground, you approve of the fact that they have a sensible and practical attitude towards life, and do not have unrealistic ideas.
In that respect he needs to keep his feet on the ground and not get carried away...
Kevin was always level-headed with both feet on the ground.
PHRASE: usu v PHR approval
11.
If you go somewhere on ~, you walk, rather than using any form of transport.
We rowed ashore, then explored the island on ~ for the rest of the day.
PHRASE
12.
If you are on your feet, you are standing up.
Everyone was on their feet applauding wildly.
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR
13.
If you say that someone or something is on their feet again after an illness or difficult period, you mean that they have recovered and are back to normal.
He said they all needed to work together to put the country on its feet again.
PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v
14.
If you say that someone always falls or lands on their feet, you mean that they are always successful or lucky, although they do not seem to achieve this by their own efforts.
He has good looks and charm, and always falls on his feet...
PHRASE: V inflects
15.
If you say that someone has one ~ in the grave, you mean that they are very old or very ill and will probably die soon. (INFORMAL)
PHRASE: V inflects
16.
If you say, in British English, the boot is on the other ~ or, mainly in American English, the shoe is on the other ~, you mean that a situation has been reversed completely, so that the person who was in the better position before is now in the worse one.
You’re not in a position to remove me. The boot is now on the other ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
17.
If someone puts their ~ down, they use their authority in order to stop something happening.
He had planned to go skiing on his own in March but his wife had decided to put her ~ down.
PHRASE: V inflects
18.
If someone puts their ~ down when they are driving, they drive as fast as they can.
I asked the driver to put his ~ down for Nagchukha.
PHRASE: V inflects
19.
If someone puts their ~ in it or puts their ~ in their mouth, they accidentally do or say something which embarrasses or offends people. (INFORMAL)
Our chairman has really put his ~ in it, poor man, though he doesn’t know it.
PHRASE: V inflects
20.
If you put your feet up, you relax or have a rest, especially by sitting or lying with your feet supported off the ground.
After supper he’d put his feet up and read. It was a pleasant prospect.
= rest
PHRASE: V inflects
21.
If you never put a ~ wrong, you never make any mistakes.
When he’s around, we never put a ~ wrong...
PHRASE: V inflects, with brd-neg
22.
If you say that someone sets ~ in a place, you mean that they enter it or reach it, and you are emphasizing the significance of their action. If you say that someone never sets ~ in a place, you are emphasizing that they never go there.
...the day the first man set ~ on the moon...
A little later I left that place and never set ~ in Texas again.
PHRASE: V inflects, oft with brd-neg emphasis
23.
If someone has to stand on their own two feet, they have to be independent and manage their lives without help from other people.
My father didn’t mind whom I married, so long as I could stand on my own two feet and wasn’t dependent on my husband.
PHRASE: V inflects
24.
If you get or rise to your feet, you stand up.
Malone got to his feet and followed his superior out of the suite...
He sprang to his feet and ran outside.
PHRASE: v PHR
25.
If someone gets off on the wrong ~ in a new situation, they make a bad start by doing something in completely the wrong way.
Even though they called the election and had been preparing for it for some time, they got off on the wrong ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
26.
to ~ the bill: see bill
~ in the door: see door
drag your feet: see drag
to vote with your feet: see vote