Phrase guide

the shoe is on the other foot

phrase · 1 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

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1

phrase

Meaning 1

The roles of people in a situation have been reversed, such that the advantage has shifted to a party which was previously disadvantaged.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Hungarian: fordul a kocka — the roles have been reversed
  • Icelandic: komið annað hljóð í strokkinn — the roles have been reversed
  • Italian: essere dall'altra parte della barricata — the roles have been reversed
  • Polish: role się odwróciły — the roles have been reversed
  • Russian: ситуация изменилась на противоположенную (situacija izmenilasʹ na protivopoložennuju) — the roles have been reversed