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Glite Dictionary
to shoot oneself in the foot

to shoot oneself in the foot

20 8.4
Do or say something that harms your own chances
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : meterse un tiro en el pie
  • He was trying to impress his boss, but he ended up shooting himself in the foot with that comment.

Examples

  • If you restrict access to new technology, are you really shooting yourself in the foot?

    Academic text (1997)

  • How many more times can the Democrats shoot themselves in the foot before they can't walk?

    Blog text (2)

  • And then shoot yourself in the foot.

    Northfork (2003)

  • Just shoot yourself in the foot or something.

    Orgazmo (1998)

  • You need to learn to stop shooting yourself in the foot.

    Academic text (2008)

  • I'll probably end up shooting myself in the foot or something.

    Lurking Fear (1994)

  • Simply put, without planning, you shoot yourself in the foot rather than hitting your target.

    Blog text (6)

  • I am completely confident that Nintendo would shoot themselves in the foot with that move.

    Blog text (2)

  • Our problem is we are too diverse and shoot ourselves in the collective foot.

    Blog text (18)

  • I think she's just shot herself in the foot.

    Bad Girls: The Musical (2009)

Synonyms

to dig one's own grave
vsto shoot oneself in the foot
  • Informal
3 7.1

To do something that makes you fail

is broader, covering any self-caused harm not only a downfall
to put foot in it
vsto shoot oneself in the foot
  • UK
3 7.7

To say or do something embarrassing by accident

focuses on actual harm or disadvantage rather than mere embarrassment
to shoot yourself in the foot
vsto shoot oneself in the foot
  • Informal
1 7.5

Cause trouble for yourself by your actions, often by accident

is the same meaning but uses second person wording rather than impersonal form
to burn one's fingers
vsto shoot oneself in the foot
  • Informal
1 8.1

Lose money or get hurt because of a mistake you make

is about accidental or unintentional harm rather than risk taken knowingly
to stick one's foot in it
vsto shoot oneself in the foot
  • UK
1 8.5

To say or do something embarrassing by accident

is used for causing disadvantage or harm, not just awkward embarrassment
to dig a hole for oneself
vsto shoot oneself in the foot
  • Informal
7.9

To cause problems for yourself because of your actions

is about a single act causing unintended harm rather than a growing problem
smoking one's own dope
vsto shoot oneself in the foot
  • Archaic
9.9

Acting in a way that harms you because you trust your own wrong ideas

focuses on unintentional harm, not only errors from one's own wrong beliefs
to put one's foot in one's mouth
vsto shoot oneself in the foot
  • Informal
8.2

To say something embarrassing without meaning to

is about causing harm or disadvantage, not only brief embarrassment

Antonyms

to do well for oneself
5 3.7

To become successful and earn enough money

How Harmful

to shoot oneself in the foot
  • Informal
20 8.4
to mistake
37 1.0
to slip up
  • Informal
27 4.1

Surface Forms

shoot oneself in the foot infinitive
shooting oneself in the foot present participle
shoots oneself in the foot third person singular
shot oneself in the foot past
shot oneself in the foot past participle

Morphology

shoot + oneself + in + the + foot

The literal parts ('shoot' + 'oneself' + 'foot') convey the idea of causing physical harm to oneself, and this maps metaphorically onto making a self-inflicted mistake or causing one’s own disadvantage. Because the sense relies on a metaphorical extension of a literal action rather than a fully predictable compositional rule, a B1 learner who knows the words might guess the general idea but would not reliably infer the idiomatic use without some exposure.

Etymology

Shoot oneself in the foot gives a clear image: someone accidentally shoots oneself in the foot, so they are hurt and cannot move well. So, it means 'to do something without meaning to that hurts you or makes your situation worse'.