# foot

/ˈfʊt/ (US) · /fˈʊt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/foot
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. body part

noun · CEFR A1

the part of your body at the end of your leg that you stand on.

For teachers: the terminal part of the vertebrate leg upon which an individual stands or walks.

- He took off his shoes to feel the cool grass under his feet.
- The athlete suffered a minor fracture in her left foot during the final minutes of the championship match.

### 2. unit of length

noun · CEFR A2 · American English

a unit of length equal to 12 inches or about 30 centimetres.

For teachers: a unit of linear measure in the imperial system equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimetres.

- The water in the shallow end of the pool is only three feet deep.
- The pilot was instructed to maintain an altitude of thirty thousand feet until the aircraft cleared the mountain range.

### 3. bottom of something

noun · CEFR B1

the lowest part or base of something, like a mountain or a bed.

For teachers: the lowest part, base, or bottom of an object or geographical feature.

- We set up our camp at the foot of the mountain before starting the climb.
- A small wooden chest sat at the foot of the bed, containing extra blankets for the winter months.

### 4. poetry rhythm

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic · Technical

a small group of sounds that make a rhythm in a poem.

For teachers: the basic unit of rhythmic measurement in a line of poetry, usually consisting of one stressed and one or more unstressed syllables.

- The teacher explained how to count each foot in the poem to find the rhythm.
- The sonnet is written in iambic pentameter, meaning each line contains five metrical feet.

### 5. to pay a bill

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to pay for something, especially a large or expensive bill.

For teachers: to settle or pay a bill or invoice; typically used in the phrase 'foot the bill'.

- My parents offered to foot the bill for my graduation dinner.
- The taxpayers were ultimately forced to foot the bill for the city's failed infrastructure project.

Usage: Usually appears in the fixed idiom 'foot the bill'.

## Examples

- My left foot hurts after that long walk.
- The athlete injured his foot during the final minutes of the championship game.
- The architect specified that the ceiling height should be exactly ten feet to accommodate the custom-built shelving units.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.