footsie

noun

foot·​sie ˈfu̇t-sē How to pronounce footsie (audio)
variants or footsy
1
: a furtive flirtatious caressing with the feet (as under a table)
2
: a usually surreptitious cooperation or negotiation with someone supposed hostile to one's own interests
usually used with play

Examples of footsie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The result is a frenzied game of footsie that can produce suboptimal deals, or none at all, but ties everyone in knots for a while. Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 July 2025 This means that those footsies won’t develop the malodorous aroma that haunts the bottoms of sleeping bags on long overnighters, even when worn for a few days in a row. Meg Carney, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 There’s been no indication of secret footsie with other franchises, a la the Miami Dolphins and a certain aging QB. Jason Gay, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 March 31 interview with FBI agents to see the shameless mental havoc wreaked by people like Trump and every Republican politician and pundit pimping, or even playing footsie with, a profoundly false election narrative. Rex Huppke, chicagotribune.com, 18 Oct. 2021 See All Example Sentences for footsie

Word History

Etymology

diminutive of foot entry 1

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of footsie was in 1944

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Footsie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/footsie. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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