footing

noun

foot·ing | \ ˈfu̇-tiŋ

Definition of footing

1 : a stable position or placing of the feet

2 : a surface or its condition with respect to one walking or running on it especially : the condition of a racetrack

3 : the act of moving on foot : step, tread

4a : a place or position providing a base of operations : foothold

b : established position : status especially : position or rank in relation to others they all started off on an equal footing

5 : basis

6 : terms of social intercourse

7 : an enlargement at the lower end of a foundation wall, pier, or column to distribute the load

8 : the sum of a column of figures

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Examples of footing in a Sentence

He lost his footing and fell down the slope. Be careful. The footing is slippery there.

Recent Examples on the Web

Take your time and be extra careful with your footing. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "14 Essential Hiking Safety Tips You Should Always Follow," 10 May 2019 Shortly into his journey, the man lost his footing and slipped into the caldera. — Andrew Daniels, Popular Mechanics, "Turns Out You Can Fall 70 Feet Into Kīlauea Volcano and Survive," 3 May 2019 This 1983 classic, which swept the Oscars the following year, follows a mother and daughter (played by the impeccable Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger) each finding their footing in love. — Seventeen, "20 Mother's Day Movies to Watch With Your Mom," 11 Apr. 2019 During the 162-game regular season, teams of a certain quality tend to find their footing regardless of the particulars of their approach. — Robert O'connell, The Atlantic, "The Yankees’ Biggest Strength May Be Its Greatest Weakness," 10 Apr. 2018 England is on a wartime footing, if the stockpiles of goods in warehouses are any indication. — Paul Page, WSJ, "Today’s Logistics Report: Shipping Fueling Up; Britain is Hoarding; Tesla Deliveries Stall," 5 Apr. 2019 This will be familiar to anyone who has tried to walk on a fast-moving train and needed to find steady footing as the train wobbled from side to side. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "New study sheds more light on what caused Millennium Bridge to wobble," 30 Oct. 2018 At this year’s awards show, the streaming studios finally reached equal footing with their network and cable peers. — Bijan Stephen, The Verge, "Netflix finally beats HBO in Primetime Emmy wins at this year’s awards," 18 Sep. 2018 Details first emerged from Moody’s Investors Service, with reports on I-4 Mobility’s financial footing. — Kevin Spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Interstate 4 builder's claim: 8-month delay and $100 million over budget," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'footing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.