Standard Lemma guide

barefoot

adj · adv · name · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈbɛɹfʊt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbɛəfʊt/
  • obsolete: /ˈbɑːɹfʊt/
  • obsolete: /ˈbæɹfʊt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B EH1 R F UH2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Wearing nothing on the feet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • After taking off their shoes, socks and sandals at the doorway, the kids were barefoot.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of a vehicle on an icy road: not using snow chains.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Transmitting without the use of an amplifier.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, slang

Qualifier: CB radio

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adv

Meaning 4

Wearing nothing on the feet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • She likes to go barefoot in the summertime.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adv

Meaning 5

Transmitting without the use of an amplifier.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Qualifier: CB radio slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

name

Meaning 6

A surname transferred from the nickname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

name

Meaning 7

An unincorporated community in Nicholas County, Kentucky, United States.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

without shoes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the barefoot boy
  • shoeless Joe Jackson

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: barefooted, shoeless

Antonyms: none provided

9

adverb

Meaning 9

without shoes on

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he chased her barefoot across the meadow

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: barefooted

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English barefote, barfot, from Old English bærfōt (“barefoot”), from Proto-West Germanic *baʀafōt, from Proto-Germanic *bazafōts (“barefoot”) equivalent to bare + foot. Cognate with Scots barefit (“barefoot”), Old Frisian berfōt ("barefoot"; modern Saterland Frisian boarfouts (“barefoot”, adverb)), Dutch barrevoets (“barefoot”, adverb), German barfuß (“barefoot”), Danish barfodet (“barefoot”), Swedish barfota (“barefoot”, adverb), Icelandic berfættur (“barefoot”), Yiddish באָרוועס (borves, “barefoot”).

A nickname, from barefoot.

Across languages

Translations

173 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: kaalvoet — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Arabic: حَافٍ (ḥāfin) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Arabic: حَافِي (ḥāfī) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Arabic: حافي (ḥāfi) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Arabic: حفيان (ḥafyān) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Arabic: حفيان (ḥafyān) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Armenian: բոբիկ (bobik) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Aromanian: discultsu — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Aromanian: discults — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Azerbaijani: ayaqyalın — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Azerbaijani: yalınayaq — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Azerbaijani: ayağı çılpaq — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Bashkir: ялан аяҡ (yalan ayaq) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Basque: onutsik — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Belarusian: бо́сы (bósy) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Belarusian: басано́гі (basanóhi) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Belarusian: неабу́ты (njeabúty) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Breton: diarc'hen — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Breton: divotoù — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Bulgarian: бос (bos) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Bulgarian: необу́т (neobút) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Catalan: descalç — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Chinese Mandarin: 赤腳 /赤脚 (chìjiǎo) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Chinese Mandarin: 光腳 /光脚 (guāngjiǎo) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Corsican: scalzu — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Czech: bosý — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Danish: barfodet — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Dutch: barrevoets — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Dutch: blootsvoets — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Esperanto: nudpieda — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Faroese: berføttur — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Faroese: berbeinaður — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Faroese: berleggjaður — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Finnish: paljasjalkainen — wearing nothing on the feet
  • French: pieds nus — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Friulian: discolç — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Galician: descalzo — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Gallo: déchaou — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Georgian: ფეხშიშველა (pexšišvela) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • German: barfuß — wearing nothing on the feet
  • German: barfüßig — wearing nothing on the feet
  • German: barfießich — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Greek: ξυπόλυτος (xypólytos) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Ancient Greek: ἀνυπόδητος (anupódētos) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Hebrew: יָחֵף (yakhéf) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Hindi: नंगे पाँव (naṅge pā̃v) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Hungarian: mezítlábas — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Icelandic: berfættur — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Indonesian: telanjang kaki — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Ingrian: kengätä — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Irish: cosnochta — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Italian: scalzo — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Italian: a piedi nudi — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Japanese: 裸足 (hadashi) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Japanese: 素足 (suashi) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Kazakh: жалаңаяқ (jalañaäq) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Korean: 맨발의 (maenbar-ui) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Northern Kurdish: xwas — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Northern Kurdish: lingxwas — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Northern Kurdish: nigxwas — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Northern Kurdish: pêxwas — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Northern Kurdish: pîxwas — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Kyrgyz: жыңайлак (jıŋaylak) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Kyrgyz: жыңалаяк (jıŋalayak) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Ladin: deschëuz — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Luxembourgish: baarbes — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Macedonian: бос (bos) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Macedonian: босоног (bosonog) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Malay: kaki ayam — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Maltese: ħafi — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Maltese: ħafja — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Maltese: ħafjin — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Māori: kore hū — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Navajo: ké tʼáágééd — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Neapolitan: scauzo — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Norwegian Bokmål: barbeint — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Old East Slavic: босъ (bosŭ) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Old English: bærfōt — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Persian: پابرهنه (pâberahne) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Plautdietsch: boaft — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Polabian: bösĕ — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Polish: bosy — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Portuguese: descalço — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Portuguese: descalça — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Romanian: desculț — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Russian: босо́й (bosój) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Russian: необу́тый (neobútyj) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Russian: босоно́гий (bosonógij) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Russian: бо́сый (bósyj) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Sardinian: iscultzu — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Sardinian: isciurtzu — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Sardinian: iscurtzu — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Sardinian: iscúlciu — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Sardinian: iscrutzu — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Sardinian: iscursu — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Sardinian: iscurtu — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Scots: barefit — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Scottish Gaelic: casruisgte — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Serbo-Croatian: бо̑с — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Serbo-Croatian: босо̀ног — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Serbo-Croatian: bȏs — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Serbo-Croatian: bosònog — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Sicilian: scàusu — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Slovak: bosý — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Slovene: bos — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Slovene: bosonog — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Lower Sorbian: bósy — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Lower Sorbian: bósučki — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Tashelhit: azir — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Tashelhit: tabatiḥt (Souss-Massa) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Spanish: descalzo — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Spanish: chuña — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Spanish: a pies pelados — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Spanish: shutudo (Americanism) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Spanish: patalsuelo — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Swahili: pekupeku — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Swedish: barfota — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Tagalog: yapak — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Tajik: побараҳна (pobarahna) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Tajik: пойлуч (poyluč) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Tashelhit: ⵃⴼⵢⴰⵏ (ḥfyan) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Tibetan: རྐང་རྗེན་མ (rkang rjen ma) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Turkish: yalın ayak — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Turkmen: ýalaňaç — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Ukrainian: бо́сий (bósyj) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Ukrainian: босоно́гий (bosonóhyj) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Ukrainian: невзу́тий (nevzútyj) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Urdu: ننگے پیر (nãṅge pair) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Uyghur: يالاڭئاياق (yalang'ayaq) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Uzbek: yalangoyoq — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Venetan: descalso — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Venetan: descalço — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Venetan: descals — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Venetan: descolzh — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Venetan: descolz — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Vietnamese: chân đất — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Vietnamese: chân không — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Vietnamese: chân trần — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Volapük: nüdafutik — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Walloon: a pîs dischås — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Walloon: a pîs dschås — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Welsh: troednoeth — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Woiwurrung: yearrnjenong — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Yiddish: באָרוועס (borves) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Albanian: zbathur — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Arabic: حافي القدمين — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Basque: oin-has — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Belarusian: басано́ж (basanóž) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Chuvash: ҫарран (śarran) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Czech: bosky — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Dutch: op blote voeten — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Esperanto: nudpiede — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Finnish: paljain jaloin — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Finnish: avojaloin — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Greek: ξυπόλητα (xypólita) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Greek: ανυπόδετα (anypódeta) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Hungarian: mezítláb — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Icelandic: berfættur — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Icelandic: berum fótum — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Japanese: 裸足で (hadashi de) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Japanese: 素足で (suashi de) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Korean: 맨발로 (maenbal-lo) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Malay: berkaki ayam — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Polish: boso — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Polish: na bosaka — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Russian: босико́м (bosikóm) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Slovak: boso — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Slovak: bosky — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Slovak: naboso — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Turkish: yalınayak — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Ukrainian: босо́ніж (bosóniž) — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Volapük: nüdafuto — wearing nothing on the feet
  • Volapük: nüdafutiko — wearing nothing on the feet
Real reading context

barefoot in complete knowledge articles