1
: a stable position or placing of the feet
lost his footing and fell
2
: a surface or its condition with respect to one walking or running on it
Be careful—the footing is slippery there.
especially
: the condition of a racetrack
4
5
: basis
put the business on a firm financial footing
6
: terms of social intercourse
neighbors on a friendly footing
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
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
In this game, progress relies on both players having an equal footing throughout and taking on a variety of challenges, from dealing with dragons to aerial fights that cannot be completed solo.
—
Richard Newby, Time, 6 Dec. 2025
After an earlier up-and-down season, the team has appeared to find its footing.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
As Homma notes, both the Academy Museum and AMPAS are non-profits, so their financial motives are different than a for-profit company focused on P&L and returning capital to shareholders (though AMPAS, like any non-profit, wants to be on as sound financial footing as possible, as Kramer indicated).
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 2025
The sense of a festival still finding its footing between domestic focus and an international outlook was also evident in the responses of other jury members to questions ranging from China’s local box office to Asian-American representation in Hollywood.
—Marcus Lim, Variety, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for footing
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Richard Newby, Time, 6 Dec. 2025
After an earlier up-and-down season, the team has appeared to find its footing.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
As Homma notes, both the Academy Museum and AMPAS are non-profits, so their financial motives are different than a for-profit company focused on P&L and returning capital to shareholders (though AMPAS, like any non-profit, wants to be on as sound financial footing as possible, as Kramer indicated).
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 2025
The sense of a festival still finding its footing between domestic focus and an international outlook was also evident in the responses of other jury members to questions ranging from China’s local box office to Asian-American representation in Hollywood.
—Marcus Lim, Variety, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for footing
Cite this Entry
“Footing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/footing. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
footing
noun
foot·ing
ˈfu̇t-iŋ 
1
a
: the placing of one's feet in a position to secure a firm or safe stand
b
: a place for the foot to rest securely
2
a
: a place or position providing a base of operations : foothold sense 2
b
: position with respect to one another : status
all started off on an equal footing
c
: basis
put the business on a firm footing
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