(~s, ~ing, trod, trodden)
1.
If you ~ on something, you put your foot on it when you are walking or standing.
Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to ~ on your foot...
VERB: V on n
2.
If you ~ in a particular way, you walk that way. (LITERARY)
She trod casually, enjoying the touch of the damp grass on her feet.
VERB: V adv
3.
A person’s ~ is the sound that they make with their feet as they walk. (WRITTEN)
We could now very plainly hear their heavy ~.
N-SING: supp N, N of n
4.
If you ~ carefully, you behave in a careful or cautious way.
If you are hoping to form a new relationship ~ carefully and slowly to begin with...
VERB: V adv
5.
The ~ of a step or stair is its flat upper surface.
He walked up the stairs. The ~s were covered with a kind of rubber and very quiet.
N-COUNT
6.
The ~ of a tyre or shoe is the pattern of thin lines cut into its surface that stops it slipping.
The fat, broad tyres had a good depth of ~.
N-VAR
7.
If someone is ~ing a fine line or path, they are acting carefully because they have to avoid making a serious mistake, especially in a situation where they have to deal with two opposing demands.
They have to ~ the delicate path between informing children and boring them...
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR between pl-n
8.
If you ~ a particular path, you take a particular course of action or do something in a particular way.
He continues to ~ an unconventional path...
PHRASE: V inflects
9.
If someone who is in deep water ~s water, they float in an upright position by moving their legs slightly.
PHRASE: V inflects
10.
If you say that someone is ~ing water, you mean that they are in an unsatisfactory situation where they are not progressing, but are just continuing doing the same things.
I could either ~ water until I was promoted, which looked to be a few years away, or I could change what I was doing.
PHRASE: V inflects
11.
to ~ on someone’s toes: see toe