ENGLISH
REFERENCE

on all fours

idiom
Meaning

On one's hands and knees.


Examples
SIMPLE

The baby crawls on all fours across the floor.

CONTEXTUAL

I dropped my ring under the sofa and had to search on all fours to find it.

COMPLEX

The old gardener, stiff with age, still worked on all fours among the flower beds, tending each plant with patient hands.

Anchors to
Related idioms3entries
  1. 01

    four score and seven years ago

    Used (sometimes sarcastically) to indicate that a past event being mentioned is particularly important: a long time ago; many years ago.

  2. 02

    four sheets to the wind

    Extremely drunk.

  3. 03

    vanish to the four winds

    To disappear; to cease to exist.

Last updated April 17, 2026