Definition of "footing" []

• Secure placement of the feet in standing or moving. (noun)
• A surface or its condition with respect to its suitability for walking or running, especially the condition of a racetrack. (noun)
• A secure place for the feet; a foothold. (noun)
• The act of moving on foot. (noun)
• Architecture The supporting base or groundwork of a structure, as for a monument or wall. Also called footer. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "While a less-indebted public sector will put the economy on better long-term footing, short-term cuts can have immediate effects at a time when the economy is struggling to create jobs."
• "Proper footing is key in not getting yourself hurt."
• "And while that might be true for the vast number of engineers who define the company's internal culture, the external impression of Google being just another tech titan like Microsoft will gain footing, making the audience for Google's messages less tolerant of ambiguity and less forgiving of mistakes."