plural feet
ˈfēt 
also foot
also foot
1
: the terminal part of the vertebrate (see vertebrate entry 1) leg upon which an individual stands
2
: an invertebrate organ of locomotion or attachment
especially
: a ventral (see ventral entry 1 sense 1b) muscular surface or process of a mollusk
3
: any of various units of length based on the length of the human foot
especially
: a unit equal to ¹/₃ yard and comprising 12 inches
—plural foot used between a number and a noun
a 10-foot pole
—plural feet or foot used between a number and an adjective 6 feet tall
see Weights and Measures Table
4
: the basic unit of verse meter consisting of any of various fixed combinations or groups of stressed and unstressed or long and short syllables
Each line of the poem contains five feet.
5
6
: something resembling a foot in position or use: such as
a
: the lower end of the leg of a chair or table
b(1)
: the basal portion of the sporophyte in mosses
(2)
: a specialized outgrowth by which the embryonic sporophyte especially of many bryophytes absorbs nourishment from the gametophyte
c
: a piece on a sewing machine that presses the cloth against the feed
7
8
: the lower edge (as of a sail)
9
: the lowest part : bottom
the foot of the hill
10
a
: the end that is lower or opposite the head
the foot of the bed
b
: the part (as of a stocking) that covers the foot
11
foots plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: material deposited especially in aging or refining : dregs
12
footed; footing; foots
1
a
: to perform the movements of (a dance)
b
: to walk, run, or dance on, over, or through
3
archaic
: establish
4
a
: to add up
b
: to pay or stand credit for
foot the bill
5
: to make or renew the foot of
foot a stocking
Synonyms
Examples of foot in a Sentence
Noun
He was wearing boots on his feet.
tracks made by the feet of a bird
The people in the crowd began to stamp their feet.
They camped at the foot of the mountain.
at the foot of the stairs
the foot of the table
Verb
I'll foot the bill for dinner.
Recent Examples on the Web
Antonio Planas, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Knowing that wear on her feet, Douglas has partnered with Dr. Scholl’s and has been introduced to their line of foot care products, including their skin care options, which include foot masks, heel balms, creams, and more.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
Even larger examples of nearly 25 feet have been caught outside of Alaska’s waters, NOAA says.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
Before this year, only 17 men – and no women – had ever completed all five loops of the race, which covers somewhere between 100 and 130 miles and takes in 63,000 feet of elevation – more than twice the height of Mount Everest.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Overnight, Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area recorded a foot of fresh snow.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 6 Apr. 2024
As a result, the Sierras can experience blizzards that would be unfathomable in low-lying areas, like a single storm in late March, which deposited more than 10 feet of snow at the Sugar Bowl ski resort over the course of four days.
—Ned Kleiner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
But the water is so murky that salvage divers can’t see more than one to two feet in front of them, Gov. Wes Moore said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
—Lea Skene, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Admire the hardwood flooring, open spaces, views of San Francisco and exhilarating style with walls of glass that open to over 1,000 square feet of decking with barbecue hookups and enchanting views.
—Bang Advertising Staff and Correspondents, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Redoing the math Economists are increasingly revising the bill future generations will have to foot in order to pay for the fiscal outlays of governments way back when.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2024
But city officials tend to argue the story is more complex, saying that Baltimore City’s infrastructure was critical to the county’s rapid expansion, and city residents have footed more of the bill over time.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024
Getting the overhaul wrong would mean companies and consumers foot a huge multi-trillion-euro bill for the green transition while handing an edge to China and the US.
—Ewa Krukowska, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024
Smaller European exporters may also be badly hit, according to Southall, because British businesses may ask these exporters to foot some of the extra costs.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
But Maryland taxpayers could still be left to foot some of the costs, based on the structure of the U.S. Transportation Department’s emergency relief fund.
—Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
That grant has thrown a wrench into broader Chips Act negotiations over the past few weeks because the Pentagon pulled out from a plan to foot more than two-thirds of the bill.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
The $10-million bill for the advertisements, which were designed to bump Porter out of the race for a rare open Senate seat, was footed by a super PAC called Fairshake that is funded by cryptocurrency companies and their executives.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Noun
Four days later, on April 6, Milwaukee police found a human foot adjacent to train tracks and human flesh in the same area where the car had been discovered.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Knowing that wear on her feet, Douglas has partnered with Dr. Scholl’s and has been introduced to their line of foot care products, including their skin care options, which include foot masks, heel balms, creams, and more.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
Even larger examples of nearly 25 feet have been caught outside of Alaska’s waters, NOAA says.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
Before this year, only 17 men – and no women – had ever completed all five loops of the race, which covers somewhere between 100 and 130 miles and takes in 63,000 feet of elevation – more than twice the height of Mount Everest.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Overnight, Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area recorded a foot of fresh snow.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 6 Apr. 2024
As a result, the Sierras can experience blizzards that would be unfathomable in low-lying areas, like a single storm in late March, which deposited more than 10 feet of snow at the Sugar Bowl ski resort over the course of four days.
—Ned Kleiner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
But the water is so murky that salvage divers can’t see more than one to two feet in front of them, Gov. Wes Moore said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
—Lea Skene, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Admire the hardwood flooring, open spaces, views of San Francisco and exhilarating style with walls of glass that open to over 1,000 square feet of decking with barbecue hookups and enchanting views.
—Bang Advertising Staff and Correspondents, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Verb
Those in the House originally wanted to raise $1.2 billion in tax, fee and toll increases to foot those bills.
—Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Redoing the math Economists are increasingly revising the bill future generations will have to foot in order to pay for the fiscal outlays of governments way back when.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2024
But city officials tend to argue the story is more complex, saying that Baltimore City’s infrastructure was critical to the county’s rapid expansion, and city residents have footed more of the bill over time.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024
Getting the overhaul wrong would mean companies and consumers foot a huge multi-trillion-euro bill for the green transition while handing an edge to China and the US.
—Ewa Krukowska, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024
Smaller European exporters may also be badly hit, according to Southall, because British businesses may ask these exporters to foot some of the extra costs.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
But Maryland taxpayers could still be left to foot some of the costs, based on the structure of the U.S. Transportation Department’s emergency relief fund.
—Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
That grant has thrown a wrench into broader Chips Act negotiations over the past few weeks because the Pentagon pulled out from a plan to foot more than two-thirds of the bill.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
The $10-million bill for the advertisements, which were designed to bump Porter out of the race for a rare open Senate seat, was footed by a super PAC called Fairshake that is funded by cryptocurrency companies and their executives.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near foot
Cite this Entry
“Foot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foot. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
foot
1 of 2 noun
plural feet
ˈfēt
also foot
also foot
1
a
: the end part of the leg below the ankle of a vertebrate animal
b
: an organ upon which an invertebrate animal stands or moves
especially
: a bottom muscular part of a mollusk
2
: a unit of length equal to ⅓ yard or 12 inches (0.3048 meter)
a 10-foot pole
six feet tall
see measure
3
: the basic unit of verse meter made up of a group of accented and unaccented syllables
4
: something resembling an animal's foot in position or use or in being opposite the head
the foot of a mountain
the foot of a bed
foot
2 of 2 verb1
2
a
: to add up
b
: to pay or provide for paying
foot the bill
Medical Definition
foot
noun
plural feet
ˈfēt
also foot
also foot
1
: the terminal part of the vertebrate leg upon which an individual stands
2
: any of various units of length based on the length of the human foot
especially
: a unit equal to ¹/₃ yard or 12 inches or 30.48 centimeters
—plural foot used between a number and a noun
a 10-foot pole
—plural feet or foot used between a number and an adjective
6 feet tall
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