one foot out the door

noun

Indicates being on the verge of or in the process of (and sometimes eager for) leaving (a place, a relationship, life, etc).

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Meanings

noun
  1. Indicates being on the verge of or in the process of (and sometimes eager for) leaving (a place, a relationship, life, etc).

    "The next thing you know it's six weeks later. Your whole team is stressed and one foot out the door."

    2022, Frank O'Brien, quoted in Tangled Goods: The Practical Life of Pro Bono Advertising by Iddo Tavory, Sonia Prelat, and Shelly Ronen, page 91
    3 more examples

    If you are unhappy in your relationship and considering polyamory as a “one-foot-out-the-door” strategy, please reconsider.

    2016 January 14, “When Your Partner Wants Non-Monogamy and You Don't”, in Psychology Today

    "Interns try and turn in at least two or three reports a week. Like I said, I have one foot out the door, so here is a little advice. It's not quantity, it's quality they look for."

    2018, Antoinette Zam, Scarred by Death

    It's insane that they bring you a normal-looking plate and go "it's very hot". … And I'm like ... so, did it need to rest for another minute or two? I didn't come in here saying I'm one foot out the door.

    2026 January 21, Ally Beardlsey, my boss is sabotaging my clown career (w/ Ally Beardsley), Perfect Person (podcast) episode 185 (c. 5:57)
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see one, foot, out, the, door.
Cite this entry
APA

one foot out the door. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20foot%20out%20the%20door

MLA

“one foot out the door.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20foot%20out%20the%20door. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “one foot out the door,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20foot%20out%20the%20door.

Source: one foot out the door on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.