start off on the wrong foot

verb

To begin badly.

Opposite
start off on the right foot
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Meanings

verbstart off on the wrong foot (third-person singular simple present starts off on the wrong foot, present participle starting off on the wrong foot, simple past and past participle started off on the wrong foot)

present singular third person starts off on the wrong foot · participle present starting off on the wrong foot · participle past started off on the wrong foot · past started off on the wrong foot

  1. To begin badly.

    Antonyms: start off on the right foot

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo begin badly.

Opposite
start off on the right foot

Translations

Catalan començar amb mal peu
  • començar amb mal peubegin badly
Chinese Mandarin 出師不利 /出师不利
  • 出師不利 /出师不利 (chūshībùlì)begin badly
Esperanto komencaĉi
  • komencaĉibegin badly
Finnish alkaa huonosti
  • alkaa huonostibegin badly
French partir du mauvais pied
  • partir du mauvais piedbegin badly
Greek αρχίζω στραβά
  • αρχίζω στραβά (archízo stravá)begin badly
Hungarian rosszul/szerencsétlenül indul/kezdődik
  • rosszul/szerencsétlenül indul/kezdődikbegin badly
Polish zaczynać się źle, zacząć się źle
  • zaczynać się źlebegin badly
  • zacząć się źlebegin badly
Portuguese começar com o pé esquerdo
  • começar com o pé esquerdobegin badly
Russian встать не с той ноги́, не зада́ться
  • встать не с той ноги́ (vstatʹ ne s toj nogí)begin badly
  • не зада́ться (ne zadátʹsja)begin badly
Spanish comenzar con mal pie
  • comenzar con mal piebegin badly
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“start off on the wrong foot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/start%20off%20on%20the%20wrong%20foot. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

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

Source: start off on the wrong foot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.