English Reference
Idiom idiom

foot voting


Expressing one's preferences through one's actions, by voluntarily participating in or withdrawing from an activity, group, or process; especially, physical migration to leave a situation one does not like, or to move to a situation one regards as more beneficial.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

Many people are foot voting by moving to cities with better jobs.

Customers are foot voting by choosing the smaller shop instead of the big supermarket.

Young people often practice foot voting when they leave small towns for bigger opportunities.

CONTEXTUAL

When the local taxes became too high, many families started foot voting by moving to the neighboring county.

If the new gym management continues to ignore our complaints, most members will start foot voting by joining the club across the street.

The tech company lost its best engineers to a rival startup because they preferred foot voting over staying in a toxic office environment.

When the social media platform changed its privacy rules, millions of users engaged in foot voting by deleting their accounts and moving to a different app.

COMPLEX

Disillusioned by the restrictive policies of their home nation, citizens engaged in foot voting by emigrating to countries that offered greater personal and economic liberty.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    beat feet

    To run.

  2. 02

    drag one's feet

    To procrastinate, put off; to dawdle, avoid, or make progress slowly and reluctantly.

  3. 03

    feet first

    In the manner of a deceased person (i.e., dead).

  4. 04

    feet of clay

    In someone apparently strong and without failings, a hidden weakness which could lead to downfall.

  5. 05

    find one's feet

    To grow in confidence in a new situation as one gains experience.

  6. 06

    foot the bill

    To pay for something.

  7. 07

    get one's feet wet

    To begin gaining experience; to tentatively try something new.

  8. 08

    get one's foot in the door

    To initiate contact or a relationship; to gain access, especially to an entry-level job.

Last updated August 10, 2026