put the shoe on the other foot

verb

To reverse the roles or positions of two things.

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Meanings

verbput the shoe on the other foot (third-person singular simple present puts the shoe on the other foot, present participle putting the shoe on the other foot, simple past and past participle put the shoe on the other foot)

present singular third person puts the shoe on the other foot · participle present putting the shoe on the other foot · alternative put the boot on the other foot

  1. figurativelyTo reverse the roles or positions of two things.
Cite this entry
APA

put the shoe on the other foot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20the%20shoe%20on%20the%20other%20foot

MLA

“put the shoe on the other foot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20the%20shoe%20on%20the%20other%20foot. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put the shoe on the other foot,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20the%20shoe%20on%20the%20other%20foot.

Source: put the shoe on the other foot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.