toe

Translate toe | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

noun

• 1any of the five digits at the end of the human foot:he cut his big toe on a sharp stone
• any of the digits of the foot of a quadruped or bird.
• the part of an item of footwear that covers a person’s toes.

• 2the lower end, tip, or point of something, in particular.
• the tip of the head of a golf club, furthest from the shaft.
• the foot or base of a cliff, slope, or embankment.
• a flattish portion at the foot of an otherwise steep curve on a graph.
• a section of a rhizome or similar fleshy root from which a new plant may be propagated.

verb (toes, toeing, toed)

• 1 [with object] push, touch, or kick (something) with one’s toe:he toed off his shoes and flexed his feet
• Golf strike (the ball) with the toe of the club.

• 2 [no object] (toe in/out) walk with the toes pointed in (or out):he toes out when he walks
• (of a pair of wheels) converge (or diverge) slightly at the front:on a turn, the inner wheel toes out more

Phrases

make someone's toes curl

informal bring about an extreme reaction in someone, either of pleasure or of disgust.

on one's toes

ready for any eventuality; alert:he carries out random spot checks to keep everyone on their toes

toe the line

accept the authority, principles, or policies of a particular group, especially under pressure.

[from the literal sense 'stand with the tips of the toes exactly touching a line']

toe to toe

(of two people) standing directly in front of one another, especially in order to fight or argue.

Derivatives

toed

adjective

[in combination]:three-toed feet

toeless

adjective

Origin:

Old English tā, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tee and German Zeh, Zehe. Current senses of the verb date from the mid 19th century

Keep the e in toeing; it does not follow the usual rule that a final silent e is dropped when adding endings that begin with a vowel.Do not confuse toe with tow. The correct phrase is toe the line, which originally meant 'stand with the tips of the toes exactly touching a line' (for instance, at the start of a race).