THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE
Put your foot down
Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.
01 / UNDERSTAND
Meaning in plain English
To use your authority to firmly stop or refuse something.
02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT
The expression in a sentence
- Sometimes you have to put your foot down when people keep changing agreed deadlines.
03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Quick idiom quiz
Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.
0 of 1 checked correctly
Can you recall the expression?
Complete the example using the expression from this lesson.
Sometimes you have to ________ when people keep changing agreed deadlines.
Show the answer
Put your foot down — To use your authority to firmly stop or refuse something.
Try your own sentence (optional)
Make it yours
Write one sentence using “Put your foot down” about your own life.
Check your sentence
Does your sentence match this meaning?
To use your authority to firmly stop or refuse something.
Compare: Sometimes you have to put your foot down when people keep changing agreed deadlines.
Check the spelling and how the expression fits the sentence. Your example can be different.
Self-review only. Your sentence is not automatically marked, saved or submitted.
This quiz is for practice. To save lesson completion on this device, complete the checks in the app.
GO DEEPER
More ways to understand and use it
Jump to a section
When to use it
Use this expression when someone sets a firm limit after allowing or discussing an unwanted situation. It suits conversational accounts of family or workplace decisions.
More examples in context
- The organiser put her foot down and refused to add more guests than the room could hold.
- I put my foot down when my flatmate kept lending out my tools without asking.
Usage note
Change your to the appropriate possessive. Put is also the past form: she put her foot down. In British driving contexts the expression can mean accelerate; this lesson focuses on setting a firm limit.
A short conversation
A: They want to add another twenty guests.
B: The room is already full. We need to put our foot down.
A: I will explain the limit clearly.
One more practice question
Which action illustrates putting your foot down?
A. Firmly refusing an unauthorised change you have authority to stop.
B. Agreeing to every change despite your concerns.
Check your answer
A. The person uses authority to set a firm limit. Accepting every change does not show that firmness.
Related lessons
Meaning and usage checked against Cambridge Dictionary. Explanations, examples and conversation are original.