foot
A1Neutral, used in all registers from everyday to technical.
Definition
Meaning
The lower extremity of the leg below the ankle, on which a person or animal walks or stands.
The base or bottom of something; a unit of linear measure equal to 12 inches (30.48 cm); the basic unit of verse meter; a concept of control or action (as in 'to foot the bill').
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word has extensive polysemy, spanning body parts, measurement, poetry, and idiomatic expressions. The plural form 'feet' is used for the body part and the measurement, while 'foot' can be used as a plural in contexts like 'He is six foot tall' (informal measurement).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In measurement, BrE more commonly uses 'six foot tall' (singular form as a modifier), while AmE more consistently uses 'six feet tall'. Idioms and phrasal verb usage largely overlap.
Connotations
No significant difference in core connotations.
Frequency
Both varieties use the word with equal high frequency.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[SUBJ] foot the bill[SUBJ] set foot in [PLACE]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “put your foot down”
- “put your foot in your mouth”
- “start off on the wrong foot”
- “have one foot in the grave”
- “the shoe is on the other foot”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
To foot the bill (pay the costs).
Academic
Used in measurement ('cubic foot'), anatomy, and prosody (poetic foot).
Everyday
Referring to the body part, walking ('go on foot'), and height measurement.
Technical
Unit of measurement in engineering and construction; part of a sewing machine or piano.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The council will have to foot the enormous repair bill.
- Can you foot the ladder while I climb?
American English
- My dad had to foot the bill for the entire wedding.
- Foot the brake pedal gently.
adjective
British English
- We took a foot patrol through the village.
- The foot passenger ferry is now boarding.
American English
- He's a foot soldier in the marketing campaign.
- We used foot measurements for the orthotics.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I hurt my foot.
- The cat sat at the foot of the bed.
- The mountain is 3000 feet high.
- She put her foot down and refused to work late.
- We travelled through the city on foot.
- The government will foot the bill for the infrastructure project.
- He didn't dare set foot in the old, abandoned house.
- The iambic foot consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one.
- He managed to get a foot in the door at the prestigious law firm.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
FOOT has two O's side by side, like two feet standing next to each other.
Conceptual Metaphor
SUPPORT/BASE IS A FOOT ('foot of the mountain', 'foot of the bed', 'foot of the page').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Russian 'фут' refers only to the unit of measurement. The body part is 'нога' or 'ступня'. Confusing 'on foot' (пешком) with 'by foot' (incorrect).
Common Mistakes
- *He is six foots tall. (Correct: feet or foot) *I go there by foot. (Correct: on foot)
Practice
Quiz
What does 'to foot the bill' mean?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The standard plural is 'feet'. However, the singular form 'foot' can be used as a plural modifier in informal measurement contexts (e.g., 'a six-foot man').
No, the standard prepositional phrase is 'on foot' (e.g., 'We travelled on foot'). 'By foot' is considered incorrect by most style guides.
In poetry, a foot is the basic unit of meter, consisting of a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables (e.g., an iamb, a trochee).
There are 12 inches in one foot.
Collections
Part of a collection
Body and Health
A1 · 49 words · Parts of the body and basic health vocabulary.