fall over one's feet

verb

To hasten.

“a. 1998, Diana Wynne Jones, "The Master", in her own Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories, HarperCollins, →ISBN (2003), page 55, "Show me the rest of the house," I said, to distract him. He fell over his feet to oblige.”

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Meanings

verbfall over one's feet (third-person singular simple present falls over one's feet, present participle falling over one's feet, simple past fell over one's feet, past participle fallen over one's feet)

present singular third person falls over one's feet · participle present falling over one's feet · past fell over one's feet · participle past fallen over one's feet

  1. To hasten.

    a. 1998, Diana Wynne Jones, "The Master", in her own Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories, HarperCollins, →ISBN (2003), page 55, "Show me the rest of the house," I said, to distract him. He fell over his feet to oblige.

    2 more examples

    Supposing there is a scrap—wouldn't she wade right in, trying to help us, and wouldn't you fall over your own feet trying so get her out of it?

    2001, Elizabeth Peters, He Shall Thunder in the Sky, HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 261

    "Luther fell over his feet trying to get away from there. He was so eat up with meanness the snakes wouldn't even touch him."

    2004, Michael Morris, A Place Called Wiregrass, HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 69

Origin

From the phrase fall over one's feet, meaning stumble.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

fall over one's feet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20over%20one's%20feet

MLA

“fall over one's feet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20over%20one's%20feet. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fall over one's feet,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20over%20one's%20feet.

Source: fall over one's feet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.