on foot

prepositional phrase

On one's feet; walking, jogging or running but not in a vehicle or on the back of an animal.

“The pub's not far: let's go on foot.”

Similar
on the hoofby footafoot
OriginMiddle English on fote ← Old English on fōte →
First used 10th c.
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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. On one's feet; walking, jogging or running but not in a vehicle or on the back of an animal.First known use 10th c.

    The pub's not far: let's go on foot.

    1 more example

    At the same time, the encroachment of vegetation proceeds apace, and broom and brambles have already made portions of the line impassable, even on foot.

    1949 November and December, “Notes and News: Festiniog and Welsh Highland Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 408

    Synonyms: on the hoof, by foot, afoot

  2. archaichobbiesOn the move; astir.First known use 14th c.
  3. In progress or in preparation; active, in operation.First known use 16th c.

    ‘I didn't know anything of this sort was on foot.’ Brangwen smiled awkwardly.

    1921, DH Lawrence, Women in Love, Vintage, published 2008, page 250
    1 more example

    [W]ithin a short time it was generally believed at Naples, that a treaty of marriage was on foot between Zeluco and the young lady in question […].

    1789, John Moore, Zeluco, Valancourt, published 2008, page 113

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseOn one's feet; walking, jogging or running but not in a vehicle or on the back of an animal.

Similar
on the hoofby footafoot
Also see
by foot

Origin

  1. Old Englishon fōte“on foot”
  2. Middle Englishon fote
  3. Englishon foot

From Middle English on fote, from Old English on fōte (“on foot”), equivalent to on + foot.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek πεζῇ
  • πεζῇ (pezēî)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Arabic مَاشِيًا
  • مَاشِيًا (māšiyan)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Bulgarian пеш, пеша́
  • пеш (peš)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • пеша́ (pešá)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Catalan a peu
  • a peuwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Chinese Mandarin 徒步, 走路
  • 徒步 (túbù)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • 走路 (zǒulù)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • 步行 (bùxíng)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Czech pěšky
  • pěškywalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Danish til fods
  • til fodswalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Dutch te voet
  • te voetwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Esperanto piede
  • piedewalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Estonian jala
  • jalawalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Finnish jalan, jalkaisin
  • jalanwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • jalkaisinwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
French à pied
  • à piedwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
German zu Fuß, auf Schusters Rappen
  • zu Fußwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • auf Schusters Rappenwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Greek με τα πόδια
  • με τα πόδια (me ta pódia)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Hebrew בָּרֶגֶל, רַגְלִי
  • בָּרֶגֶל (barégel)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • רַגְלִי (raglí)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Hindi पैदल
  • पैदल (paidal)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Hungarian gyalog
  • gyalogwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Icelandic ganga, fótgangandi
  • gangawalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • fótgangandiwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Irish de chois, de shiúl cos
  • de choiswalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • de shiúl coswalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • de shiúl na gcoswalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Italian a piedi
  • a piediwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Japanese 歩いて, 徒歩で
  • 歩いて (aruite)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • 徒歩で (toho de)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Korean 걸어서
  • 걸어서 (georeoseo)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Latin pedes
  • pedeswalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Latvian kājām
  • kājāmwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Lithuanian pėsčiomis
  • pėsčiomiswalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Māori pakituri, haere pakituri
  • pakituriwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • haere pakituriwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Norwegian Bokmål til fots
  • til fotswalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Persian پیاده
  • پیاده (pyâde)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Polish pieszo, na piechotę
  • pieszowalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • na piechotęwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • piechotąwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Portuguese a pé
  • a péwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Romanian pe jos
  • pe joswalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Russian пешко́м, пешо́чком
  • пешко́м (peškóm)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • пешо́чком (pešóčkom)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Slovak pešo
  • pešowalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Spanish a pie, a patatín
  • a piewalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • a patatínwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • pedestrementewalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Swedish till fots
  • till fotswalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Turkish yayan
  • yayanwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Ukrainian пі́шки, піхо́тою
  • пі́шки (píšky)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • піхо́тою (pixótoju)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • пі́хом (píxom)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Urdu پیدل
  • پیدل (paidal)walking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Vietnamese đi bộ, đi chân
  • đi bộwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • đi chânwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • cuốc bộwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Welsh ar eich deudroed, ar gerdded
  • ar eich deudroedwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
  • ar gerddedwalking, jogging, running — see also afoot
Cite this entry
APA

on foot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20foot

MLA

“on foot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20foot. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on foot,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20foot.

Source: on foot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.