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View synonyms for toe

toe

[ toh ]

noun

  1. one of the terminal digits of the human foot.
  2. an analogous part in certain animals.
  3. the forepart of the foot or hoof of a horse or the like.
  4. the forepart of anything worn on the foot, as of a shoe or stocking.
  5. a part resembling a toe in shape or position.
  6. Railroads. the end of a frog in front of the point and in the direction of the switch.
  7. Machinery.
    1. a journal or part placed vertically in a bearing, as the lower end of a vertical shaft.
    2. a curved partial cam lifting the flat surface of a follower and letting it drop; wiper.
  8. Golf. the outer end of the head of a club.


verb (used with object)

, toed, toe·ing.
  1. to furnish with a toe or toes.
  2. to touch or reach with the toes:

    The pitcher toed the mound, wound up, and threw a fastball.

  3. to kick with the toe.
  4. Golf. to strike (the ball) with the toe of the club.
  5. Carpentry.
    1. to drive (a nail) obliquely.

verb (used without object)

, toed, toe·ing.
  1. to stand, walk, etc., with the toes in a specified position:

    to toe in.

  2. to tap with the toe, as in dancing.

toe

/ təʊ /

noun

  1. any one of the digits of the foot
  2. the corresponding part in other vertebrates
  3. the part of a shoe, sock, etc, covering the toes
  4. anything resembling a toe in shape or position
  5. the front part of the head of a golf club, hockey stick, etc
  6. the lower bearing of a vertical shaft assembly
  7. the tip of a cam follower that engages the cam profile
  8. dip one's toe in or dip one's toes in informal.
    to begin doing or try something new or unfamiliar
  9. on one's toes
    alert
  10. tread on someone's toes
    to offend or insult a person, esp by trespassing on his or her field of responsibility
  11. turn up one's toes informal.
    to die
  12. slang.
    speed

    a player with plenty of toe

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


verb

  1. tr to touch, kick, or mark with the toe
  2. tr golf to strike (the ball) with the toe of the club
  3. tr to drive (a nail, spike, etc) obliquely
  4. intr to walk with the toes pointing in a specified direction

    to toe inwards

  5. toe the line
    to conform to expected standards, attitudes, etc
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈtoeˌlike, adjective
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Other Words From

  • toeless adjective
  • toelike adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of toe1

before 900; Middle English; Old English tā; cognate with Dutch teen, German Zehe, Old Norse
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Word History and Origins

Origin of toe1

Old English tā; related to Old Frisian tāne, Old Norse tā, Old High German zēha, Latin digitus finger
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. on one's toes, energetic; alert; ready:

    The spirited competition kept them on their toes.

  2. step / tread on someone's toes, to offend (a person); encroach on the territory or sphere of responsibility of (another):

    The new employee stepped on a lot of toes when he suggested reorganizing the office.

  3. toe the line. line 1( def 83 ).

More idioms and phrases containing toe

In addition to the idiom beginning with toe , also see dip one's toes into ; from head to toe ; on one's toes ; step on someone's toes ; turn up one's toes .
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Example Sentences

“James Woods refuses to toe the Hollyweird line,” Twitchy managing editor Lori Ziganto told The Daily Beast in an email.

But Republican elected officials tend not to toe the conservative line, in part for political reasons.

“I would just say that we've put our toe in the water,” she told me.

So what if you can barely twitch a toe let alone move a leg?

These self-dubbed gear heads go toe to toe (or perhaps more accurately, crash to crash), with the men in the sport.

If the "Y" Beach lot press their advantage they may cut off the enemy troops on the toe of the Peninsula.

The Staff have made up their minds that we should be very much in the wrong box if we dossed down on the toe of the Peninsula.

Metal buttons or pistons located on the toe piece of the pedal-board were introduced by the ingenious Casavant of Canada.

These toe-pistons form an additional and most convenient means for bringing the stops into and out of action.

In large organs two or three adjustable toe pistons are also provided to give independent control of the Pedal organ.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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