- one of the five small parts that stick out from the foot; any similar part on the foot of an animal or bird
- the big/little toe (= the largest/smallest toe)
- I stubbed my toe on the step.
- Can you touch your toes (= by bending over while keeping your legs straight)?
- She wiggled her fingers and toes thoughtfully.
- on your toes She stood on her toes and kissed him.
- They are ground birds with long toes and claws.
Homophones toe | towtoe tow/təʊ//təʊ/- toe noun
- He stepped on my toe while we were dancing!
- tow verb
- Luckily, a truck came to tow our car to safety.
- tow noun
- Can you give us a tow to a garage?
Extra ExamplesTopics Bodyb1- He had some kind of fungus between his toes.
- He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.
- I dipped my toe in the river to test the temperature.
- I stood on the tips of my toes to look through the window.
- Ouch! That was my toe you just trod on.
- She stood on her toes to kiss him.
- She tapped her toes to the music.
- The shoe pressed painfully against her big toe.
- Under his bare toes the floor felt gritty.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- little
- pinky
- …
- stand on
- step on
- tread on
- …
- curl
- injury
- between the/your toes
- on your toes
- from head to toe
- from top to toe
- the tips of your toes
- …
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- the part of a sock, shoe, etc. that covers the toes
- He kicked the earth with the toe of his boot.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- little
- pinky
- …
- stand on
- step on
- tread on
- …
- curl
- injury
- between the/your toes
- on your toes
- from head to toe
- from top to toe
- the tips of your toes
- …
- -toed(in adjectives) having the type or number of toes mentioned
- open-toed sandals
- a three-toed sloth
Word OriginOld English tā, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tee and German Zeh, Zehe. Current senses of the verb date from the mid 19th cent.
Idioms
See toe in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee toe in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishdig your toes/heels in
- to refuse to do something or to change your mind about something
- They dug their toes in and would not lower the price.
dip a toe in/into something | dip a toe in/into the water
- (informal) to start doing something very carefully to see if it will be successful or not
- We decided to dip a toe in the computer games market.
from head to foot/toe
- covering your whole body
- We were covered from head to foot in mud.
- She was dressed from head to toe in red.
from top to toe
- completely; all over
- She was dressed in green from top to toe.
keep somebody on their toes
- to make sure that somebody is ready to deal with anything that might happen by doing things that they are not expecting
- Surprise visits help to keep the staff on their toes.
- The threat of inspections kept us all on our toes.
make somebody’s toes curl
- to make somebody feel embarrassed or uncomfortable
- The man's broad smile made her toes curl.
tread on somebody’s toes (especially British English)
(North American English usually step on somebody’s toes)
- (informal) to offend or annoy somebody, especially by getting involved in something that is their responsibility
- I don’t want to tread on anybody’s toes so I’ll keep quiet.
Check pronunciation:
toe