1
a(1)
: one of the terminal members of the vertebrate foot
(2)
: the fore end of a foot or hoof
b
: a terminal segment of a limb of an invertebrate
c
: the forepart of something worn on the foot
the toe of a boot
2
: a part that by its position or form is felt to resemble a toe
the toe of Italy
: such as
a
: a lateral projection at one end or between the ends of a piece (such as a rod or bolt)
b
: the lowest part (as of an embankment, dam, or cliff)
3
toed; toeing
1
: to touch, reach, or drive with the toe
toe a football
2
: to furnish with a toe
toe a sock
3
: to drive (something, such as a nail) obliquely
also
: to clinch or fasten by or with nails or rods so driven
1
: tiptoe
2
: to stand, walk, or be placed so that the toes assume an indicated position or direction
toe in
Examples of toe in a Sentence
Noun
He felt the sand between his toes.
I accidentally stepped on her toe.
I stubbed my toe on the table's leg.
My sock has a hole in the toe.
the toe of her boot
the toe of the peninsula
Verb
She toed off her shoes.
The pitcher toed the rubber.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 28 Apr. 2024
The soundstage wasn’t any more forgiving, with cords, heavy and hot equipment, and crew dressed head to toe in black, complicating navigation for the actress, who has recently lost her night vision.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Apr. 2024
The announcement is in keeping with Sanchez’s knack for keeping Spaniards on their toes.
—Reuters, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
Raptors left such odd imprints because their inside toes were held off the ground.
—Jack Tamisiea, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
But Michael Conforto stayed on his toes enough to know to leave them momentarily when D.J. Stewart lifted the Mets’ first pop fly of the night into shallow left field.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Getting my toes, let alone my shoulders, under the icy water was horrific.
—Emily Peck, WIRED, 23 Apr. 2024
Among other iterative improvements, the shoe has a continuous bottom that guides the foot from heel to toe more efficiently.
—Adrienne So, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
The cast may be saddled with prosthetics that cover them head to bigfoot toe, but their eyes are plain to see, which allows for a different kind of emoting and extra emphasis on physicality.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2024
When the series kicked off its 49th season in October, Pete Davidson toed the line between humor and sincerity while addressing the violence overseas during his episode’s cold open.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 31 Mar. 2024
Since then, it's seemed the Titans have tried to toe the line between remaining competitive and rebuilding on the fly, trading WR A.J. Brown during the 2022 draft while QB Ryan Tannehill and RB Derrick Henry played out their contracts Sunday.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024
In the shot, Hailey glows from head — or more accurately, bunny ears — to toe in the Easter ‘fit and is backdropped by sparkling blue water.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
Political candidates and those who seek to win higher office constantly toe the line between conformity and self-expression, the former usually trumps the latter.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
In 2018, Zhang Yiming, the founder of ByteDance, toed the party line after Beijing shut down ByteDance’s jokes app.
—Didi Tang, Fortune Asia, 14 Mar. 2024
The cinematic masterpiece is poised to sweep the Oscars, but its creators toe the liberal Hollywood line.
—John Fund, National Review, 10 Mar. 2024
Germany – Europe’s largest economy, and a notable holdout from toeing the Washington line on a blanket ban on Huawei and ZTE equipment – has been noncommittal.
—Eva Dou, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024
Noun
The sneakers are equipped with next-level cushioning to support the arches, toes, and heels.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 28 Apr. 2024
The soundstage wasn’t any more forgiving, with cords, heavy and hot equipment, and crew dressed head to toe in black, complicating navigation for the actress, who has recently lost her night vision.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Apr. 2024
The announcement is in keeping with Sanchez’s knack for keeping Spaniards on their toes.
—Reuters, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
Raptors left such odd imprints because their inside toes were held off the ground.
—Jack Tamisiea, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
But Michael Conforto stayed on his toes enough to know to leave them momentarily when D.J. Stewart lifted the Mets’ first pop fly of the night into shallow left field.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Getting my toes, let alone my shoulders, under the icy water was horrific.
—Emily Peck, WIRED, 23 Apr. 2024
Among other iterative improvements, the shoe has a continuous bottom that guides the foot from heel to toe more efficiently.
—Adrienne So, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
The cast may be saddled with prosthetics that cover them head to bigfoot toe, but their eyes are plain to see, which allows for a different kind of emoting and extra emphasis on physicality.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
Verb
Trump has toed the line of the gag order in the past weeks, targeting some potential witnesses on social media, sharing articles about the daughter of the judge, and targeting a member of Bragg's team.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2024
When the series kicked off its 49th season in October, Pete Davidson toed the line between humor and sincerity while addressing the violence overseas during his episode’s cold open.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 31 Mar. 2024
Since then, it's seemed the Titans have tried to toe the line between remaining competitive and rebuilding on the fly, trading WR A.J. Brown during the 2022 draft while QB Ryan Tannehill and RB Derrick Henry played out their contracts Sunday.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024
In the shot, Hailey glows from head — or more accurately, bunny ears — to toe in the Easter ‘fit and is backdropped by sparkling blue water.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
Political candidates and those who seek to win higher office constantly toe the line between conformity and self-expression, the former usually trumps the latter.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
In 2018, Zhang Yiming, the founder of ByteDance, toed the party line after Beijing shut down ByteDance’s jokes app.
—Didi Tang, Fortune Asia, 14 Mar. 2024
The cinematic masterpiece is poised to sweep the Oscars, but its creators toe the liberal Hollywood line.
—John Fund, National Review, 10 Mar. 2024
Germany – Europe’s largest economy, and a notable holdout from toeing the Washington line on a blanket ban on Huawei and ZTE equipment – has been noncommittal.
—Eva Dou, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'toe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Toe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toe. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
toe
1 of 2 noun1
a
: one of the jointed parts of the front end of a vertebrate foot
b
: the front end or part of a foot or hoof
c
: the front end or part of something worn on the foot
2
: something that resembles a toe
toe
2 of 2 verb
toed; toeing
: to touch, reach, or kick with the toes
Medical Definition
toe
noun
: one of the terminal members of a vertebrate's foot
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