Skip to main content
foot

foot

1 8.2
A group of two or three syllables that makes the rhythm in poetry
  • noun
  • /fʊt/
  • Literature
: pie
  • The word pharma is a trochee, a two-syllable foot with the stress on the first element.
  • iambic foot
  • trisyllabic foot
  • feet or measures

Examples

  • "My Mother in Her Stocking Feet" was the poem's title.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • For the remainder of that week, I avoided answering my phone or setting foot in the Department of History.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Let's get the rhythm of the feet.

  • Students cut out pairs of footprints with the year on one foot and the event on the other.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Sometimes these chunks break into iambic feet, with an effect similar to W. B. Yeats's "An Irish Airman."

    Academic text (2016)
  • " Absently, she tapped her foot in rhythm with the Guns N' Roses number blaring from the jukebox.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • In poetry, an iambic foot consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

  • Each foot in a poem contributes to its overall rhythm and musicality.

  • Understanding the concept of a foot is essential for analyzing meter in verses.

Synonyms

metrical foot
vsfoot
  • Literature
1 8.1

A group of two or three syllables that makes the poem's basic rhythm

is the shorter traditional term for the same rhythmic group
metrical unit
vsfoot
  • Literature
7.5

A group of two or three syllables that makes the basic rhythm in a poem

is a more concise traditional label for that same rhythmic unit

Idioms

To keep moving forward step by step despite problems

To do everything for someone and meet all their needs

A situation that has changed so the other person has the advantage

hand and foot
  • Informal
5 6.6

Give someone complete care and do everything they want

Cause trouble for yourself by your actions, often by accident

4 8.0

Almost dying because of old age or poor health

To say or do something embarrassing by accident

1 7.7

Not able to act freely because rules or people stop you

To be involved with two opposing groups at the same time

Imagine being in the other person's place to understand them better

Someone acts confidently and takes the lead

1 8.0

To stop someone completely from acting freely

1 8.6

In a weak position after a problem or unexpected event

Do or say something that harms your own chances

Surprised and not ready to deal with a sudden problem

to put foot to ass
  • Offensive
9.9

Take strong action to make someone work or change

Make a very good impression when you meet someone or start something new

To say something embarrassing without meaning to

To yell at or threaten someone to make them try harder

To step onto solid ground after being on a boat or in a plane

To say or do something embarrassing by accident

Compounds

196 1.8

Being six feet tall

144 1.4

A measure of area equal to a square one foot on each side used for rooms and land

27 3.8

A person who fights on foot or does basic work for a group

18 3.0

A measure of space equal to a cube one foot on each side

13 2.9

People walking in an area near shops or businesses

12 3.2

A thing you press with your foot to control a machine like a car or sewing machine

An infection on the feet, often between the toes, caused by a fungus that makes the skin itch and peel

6 3.0

A foot with skin between the toes that helps animals swim

4 1.8

An event where people run to see who is fastest

acre-foot
  • Specialized
4 7.4

An amount of water that covers one acre to a depth of one foot

2 3.8

A very contagious viral disease of animals like cows or sheep that causes fever and mouth and hoof sores

foot doctor
  • Informal
2 2.7

A doctor who treats problems with the feet

2 3.2

A pedal you press with your foot to slow a vehicle

board foot
  • Specialized
2 7.2

A measure of wood volume equal to a piece one foot long, one foot wide and one inch thick

2 6.5

A small line at the outer corner of the eye that often appears with age or when you smile

foot-pound
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A unit of work equal to a one-pound force moving an object one foot

trench foot
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A foot problem from long cold, wet exposure that causes pain, swelling, and numbness

foot rot
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A spreading infection of the feet of animals like sheep and cows that causes swelling and difficulty walking

tube foot
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A small soft tube with a sucker that starfish and sea urchins use to move, eat, and breathe

1 7.3

A hoof that is split into two parts, like on a goat or pig

1 2.6

A foot of a bird with toes and claws for holding branches, walking, or swimming

neat's-foot oil
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A pale yellow liquid from cattle feet and legs that softens and protects leather

1 9.9

A jelly made from boiled calves' feet used in traditional dishes

cleft foot
  • Specialized
1 9.8

A foot born with a deep gap between the third and fourth toes that extends into the foot

1 4.4

A tool for rubbing away hard skin from the soles of the feet

1 3.8

The hard part at the bottom of a horse's leg that it walks on

foot voting
  • Formal
1 7.8

Moving to another place to show a political or personal preference instead of voting in an election

1 1.8

The lowest part of an animal's leg used for standing or walking

metrical foot
  • Literature
1 8.1

A group of two or three syllables that makes the poem's basic rhythm

foot rot
  • Specialized
1 6.2

A disease that makes the base of a plant's stem or trunk decay, often after too much water

1 4.2

A device you move with your foot to control a machine

1 9.9

A plant that grows in different regions, often with blue or purple flowers

1 9.9

A measure of work or energy equal to 2,240 foot-pounds

A small plant from eastern United States with pale blue or purple flowers like pansies

foot-lambert
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A unit for measuring how bright a surface like a screen is per square foot

hare's-foot fern
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A fern with soft grey hairy roots that look like a hare's foot

1 2.0

A ruler one foot long used to measure length

1 9.9

A wild plant with drooping pink or purple flowers and broad lobed leaves

rabbit's-foot fern
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A fern with furry underground stems and large deeply divided green leaves

A large insect that sucks plant sap and has leaflike hind legs

kangaroo's-foot
  • Australian
1 9.3

A plant from Australia with long grasslike leaves and fuzzy flower clusters

A plant with finger-like leaves that smells bad and can make you sick if eaten

A small European plant with claw-shaped pods that farm animals eat

A small plant with yellow flowers and seed pods like a bird's foot often grown for animals to eat

bird's-foot fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A small fern with purple-brown stalks and divided leaves like a bird's foot

A fern from the Canary Islands and Madeira with soft, hairy underground stems like a hare's foot

9.8

A carved decoration on a table or chair leg that looks like a cat's paw

9.7

A low plant with silvery leaves and small white flowers that forms a soft ground cover

cloven foot
  • Literature
9.9

People in old stories say a split hoof shows someone is with the Devil

A common low plant with round leaves and pink flowers that grows in lawns

9.9

A fern from Australia with hairy underground stems that look like a rabbit's foot

foot-poundal
  • Archaic
9.9

A unit for measuring work when a force moves something one foot

foot-wobbler
  • Informal
9.9

A person who walks unsteadily and often stumbles

foot joint
  • Specialized
8.1

The last part of a flute that holds the lowest keys

fossorial foot
  • Specialized
9.9

A strong front foot made for digging in soil

lobate foot
  • Specialized
9.9

A foot with flaps on each toe that helps a bird swim

goat's foot
  • South African
9.9

A small South African plant with bluish flowers and leaves shaped like a goat's foot

9.9

A fern with soft, hairy creeping stems that look like a rabbit's foot

heterodactyl foot
  • Specialized
9.9

A bird foot with the first two toes pointing backward and the other two pointing forward

heterodactyl foot
  • Specialized
9.9

A robotic gripper with two toes pointing backward and two pointing forward to hold oddly shaped objects

immersion foot
  • Specialized
9.2

A foot injury from being in cold, wet places for a long time without freezing

invertebrate foot
  • Specialized
8.4

A soft body part that animals without backbones use to move or hold on

kangaroo-foot plant
  • Australian
9.9

An Australian plant with fuzzy spring flowers shaped like a kangaroo's foot

A soft pad that you put inside a shoe to support the foot and reduce pain

A North American plant that lives for one year with bright pink or red pea-like flowers

single-foot
  • Specialized
9.9

A smooth, fast way a horse moves with four separate foot beats

A feathery fern with soft furry underground stems that look like a squirrel's foot

zygodactyl foot
  • Specialized
9.9

A bird foot with two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward

vertebrate foot
  • Specialized
5.3

The end part of an animal leg used for standing and for moving, like a human foot, hoof or claw

A common weed with wide leaves that grows in lawns and bare ground

A common weed with broad, round leaves that grows in lawns and roadsides

Surface Forms

foot singular
feet plural

Etymology

Foot in poetry takes its name from the idea of a 'step' or beat; just like your foot marks a step, a poetic foot marks a small group of syllables that make the rhythm of a line.