footwork — English Dictionary

Noun

1. Any movement of the feet, especially intricate or complex movement, as in sports or dancing.

   Usage

   • Uncountable
   • usually

   Examples

   The dancer impressed the crowd with his fancy footwork.

   The horses impressed the riders with their unerring footwork, and the mountain goats simply astounded everyone with their surefootedness.

   More examples (1)

   Everton defender Distin then demonstrated neat footwork to evade a succession of challenges inside the area before sending a rising, angled effort narrowly off target.

2. A subgenre of juke/ghetto house and style of street dance that originated in Chicago in the early 1990s.

   Usage

   • Uncountable
   • usually

   Examples

   In April, DJ Rashad, a Chicago-based producer and pioneer of the increasingly popular footwork genre, died in a drug-related accident.

3. Finesse.

   Usage

   • Informal
   • Uncountable
   • usually

   Examples

   It took some fancy footwork to make it all happen.

Noun

1. the manner of using the feet

   Broader terms

   maneuvermanoeuvreplay

2. skillful maneuvering or dealing

   Broader terms

   maneuvermanoeuvretactical maneuvertactical manoeuvre

   Examples

   she needs some fancy footwork to cover all those lies