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Glite Dictionary
toe-in

toe-in

1 7.2
The front wheels of a car point slightly inward to improve control
  • noun
  • /toʊ ɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : convergencia
  • The mechanic explained that a proper toe-in helps improve the vehicle's handling and stability during turns.
  • toe-in pads

Examples

  • Adjusting the toe-in of the front wheels can prevent uneven tire wear and enhance road grip.

  • The two women, however, were dressed from head to toe in heavy black clothing; the eyes of one and the face of the other were all that could be seen of them.

    Blog text (2)

  • Tony Hodges, 40, from East Hartford, was decked head to toe in UConn garb.

    Blog text (31)

  • Wheel alignment, including caster, kingpin inclination, wheel camber, and wheel toe-in; this concerns the two steering wheels.

    Blog text (15)

  • The Wildcats and Eagles went toe-to-toe in a thrilling opening set, with Weber State rallying late to take a 27-25 win, and then WSU rolled to a 25-17 win in the second set to open up a 2-0 lead.

    Blog text (17)

  • Before the race, the team checked the car's wheel toe-in to ensure optimal performance on the track.

How Angled

toe-in
  • Specialized
1 7.2
to parallel
7 4.8

Surface Forms

toe-in singular
toe-ins plural

Morphology

toe-in = toe (semi-transparent) = in + toe

Formally a compound 'toe' + 'in' and the components hint at inwardness, but the precise technical automotive meaning is specialized and not obvious to all learners. [Postprocessing: moved 'in' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

The word toe-in comes from the simple parts toe and in, where toe is the front of a foot and 'in' means 'toward the inside'. So imagine the front wheels like toes turned slightly inward; that's why toe-in describes a wheel alignment that makes a car more stable.