English Dictionary

Definition of “footing”

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footing (ˈfʊtɪŋPronunciation for footing) 

Definitions

noun

  1. the basis or foundation on which something is established  ⇒ the business was on a secure footing 
  2. the relationship or status existing between two persons, groups, etc  ⇒ the two countries were on a friendly footing 
  3. a secure grip by or for the feet
  4. the lower part of a foundation of a column, wall, building, etc
  5. mainly US 
    1. the act of adding a column of figures
    2. the total obtained
  6. rare a fee paid upon entrance into a craft, society, etc, or such an entrance itself

foot (fʊtPronunciation for foot) 

Definitions

noun

Word forms: plural, feet, fiːt
  1. the part of the vertebrate leg below the ankle joint that is in contact with the ground during standing and walking pedal
  2. the part of a garment that covers a foot
  3. any of various organs of locomotion or attachment in invertebrates, including molluscs
  4. botany the lower part of some plant structures, as of a developing moss sporophyte embedded in the parental tissue
    1. a unit of length equal to one third of a yard or 12 inches. 1 Imperial foot is equivalent to 0.3048 metre ft
    2. any of various units of length used at different times and places, typically about 10 per cent greater than the Imperial foot
  6. any part resembling a foot in form or function  ⇒ the foot of a chair 
  7. the lower part of something; base; bottom  ⇒ the foot of the page the foot of a hill 
  8. the end of a series or group  ⇒ the foot of the list 
  9. manner of walking or moving; tread; step  ⇒ a heavy foot 
    1. infantry, esp in the British army
    2. ((as modifier)  ⇒ a foot soldier 
  11. any of various attachments on a sewing machine that hold the fabric in position, such as a presser foot for ordinary sewing and a zipper foot
  12. music 
    1. a unit used in classifying organ pipes according to their pitch, in terms of the length of an equivalent column of air
    2. this unit applied to stops and registers on other instruments
  13. printing 
    1. the margin at the bottom of a page
    2. the undersurface of a piece of type
  14. prosody a group of two or more syllables in which one syllable has the major stress, forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm
  15. See a foot in the door
  16. See kick with the wrong foot
  17. See my foot!
  18. See of foot
  19. See on foot
  20. See one foot in the grave
  21. See on the right foot
  22. See on the wrong foot
  23. See put a foot wrong
  24. See put one's best foot forward
  25. See put one's foot down
  26. See put one's foot in it
  27. See set on foot
  28. See tread under foot
  29. See under foot

verb

  1. to dance to music (esp in the phrase foot it)
  2. (tr) to walk over or set foot on; traverse (esp in the phrase foot it)
  3. (tr) to pay the entire cost of (esp in the phrase foot the bill)
  4. (usually foll by up) archaic or dialect to add up

See also

feet , foots

Alternative Forms

ˈfootless adjective

Word Origin

Old English fōt ; related to Old Norse fōtr , Gothic fōtus , Old High German fuoz , Latin pēs , Greek pous , Sanskrit pad

Usage examples

  • At least I was on an equal footing with this new apprentice.
    Robin Hobb, THE GOLDEN FOOL: Book Two of the Tawny Man (2002)
  • Surely, with approaches like this, the recording of history is on a sound footing.
    India Today (1997)
  • "I think [the Slams] are on strong footing now," Martin said.
    Globe and Mail (2003)
  • eBay is a great leveller, putting everyone on the same footing.
    Belfast Telegraph (2004)
  • His horse cannoned off a smaller French horse, but kept its footing.
    Cornwell, Bernard, Sharpe's Waterloo (1991)

Commonness

All English words that begin with 'F'

Related Terms

4 results

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