How to use afoot in a sentence

22 example sentences · adverb, adjective

Afoot means on foot. (means of locomotion, walking). Example: “Possibly some chemical experiment was afoot; possibly----Well, it was no business of mine to speculate upon why he wanted it.”

Examples of afoot by meaning

adverbIn motion; in action; astir; stirring; in progress.

Possibly some chemical experiment was afoot; possibly----Well, it was no business of mine to speculate upon why he wanted it.1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC
In San Francisco and in New Jersey, to quote two other examples, plans are afoot to subsidise new commuter line construction or existing operations out of toll revenue from state highways or bridges.1959 October, “Talking of Trains: Paying for the commuters”, in Trains Illustrated, page 458
‘Patience,’ said Slartibartfast again. ‘Great things are afoot.’¶ ‘That's what you said last time we met,’ said Arthur.¶ ‘They were,’ said Slartibartfast.¶ ‘Yes, that's true,’ admitted Arthur.¶ All, however, that seemed to be afoot was a ceremony of some kind.1982 August, Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; 3), London: Pan Books, →ISBN, page 29

adjectiveWalking or running; using the feet for locomotion, as opposed to on horseback or riding in a vehicle.

He had been afoot on the prairie for two days when he met Bert Barricune.1949, Dorothy M. Johnson, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; in Indian Country, London: Corgi, 1961, page 91

adjectiveThat is on foot, in motion, in action, in progress.

Sunny moves through these final days quickly, easily, buoyed by routine even though change is afoot in all directions.2011, Maile Chapman, Your Presence Is Requested at Suvanto: A Novel
Now there are plans afoot to introduce a couple of extra trains to the timetable in December, with the long-term goal of a doubling of the service to eight trains a day.2019 October, James Abbott, “Esk Valley revival”, in Modern Railways, page 76
I knew there was foul play afoot.”2023 October 12, Edgar Momplaisir, “A Few Badgeys More” (19:19 from the start), in Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 4, episode 7, spoken by...

More sentences with afoot

You don't want to discover you're now afoot when you return for your wheels.2005, Gerald W. Garner, “Suspicious Persons and Situations”, in Surviving the Street: Officer Safety and Survival Techniques, 2nd edition…. From the entry foot chase
When rumour got afoot that in future mechanical power would be unlimited, the people expected a millennium.1930, Olaf Stapledon, Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future, London: Methuen & Co., →OCLC. From the entry millennium
The fact that the room was still in darkness made it obvious that something nefarious was afoot.1921, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 26, in The Indiscretions of Archie. From the entry nefarious
It could be throwed from hossback or afoot, and could be used for a head ketch, heelin’, or forefootin’.1989, Ramon F Adams, The Old-Time Cowhand. From the entry throwed
Well, he knows by this time, I reckon, that the fastest man afoot can’t noways match speed with a hornet.1935 October, Robert E. Howard, “The Riot at Cougar Paw”, in Action Stories. From the entry bodacious
The captain came to the break of the quarter-deck and, perceiving the fun afoot, leaned on the swivel-gun.1923, Charles Boardman Hawes, The Dark Frigate, Chapter 7. From the entry swivel gun
I fear this means that there is some mischief afoot.1914 September – 1915 May, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 1, in The Valley of Fear: A Sherlock Holmes Novel, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry]…. From the entry mischief
He traveled almost altogether afoot, observing the strictest economy and supporting himself by occasional jobs of saddlery and harness mending.1905, John F. Hume, chapter 6, in The Abolitionists, Together with Personal Memories of the Struggle for Human Rights, 1830-1864, New…. From the entry saddlery
Although this story predated the Kunkle episode, something told me that with dime-droppers afoot, both men and women naturally become more cautious.2005, Richard F. Miller, A Carrier at War: On Board the USS Kitty Hawk in the Iraq War. From the entry dime dropper
I was up betimes in the morning, but Holmes was afoot earlier still, for I saw him as I dressed, coming up the drive.1902, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 13, in The Hound of the Baskervilles. From the entry betimes
Adam appreciated Ann Arbor's “unmalled” downtown daily springing to life, people afoot, independent restaurants, bookstores, local shops, and all the rest making a city's core—large or small—a vibrant place.2016, Nicholas Aharon Boggioni, The Fundamentalist's Daughter, an American Story, page 29. From the entry unmalled
Still, something strange was afoot in Rendlesham, and even if the file is unlikely to satisfy either ufologists or debunkers, it suggests that the truth is still out there.2002 December 8, Scott Veale, “Word for Word/The Rendlesham File; Let There Be Lights: Britons Get One Less Thing to Worry About”, in The…. From the entry ufologist
As readers, we sense when the game is being played for real and when something else is afoot: pride, showmanship, the pursuit of power, self-aggrandizement, revenge, making money.2001 February 25, Stacey D’Erasmo, “Here comes the neighborhood [review of Everyday People (2001) by Stewart O’Nan]”, in The New York…. From the entry self-aggrandizement
More speculative plans are afoot for a world-class Tumen River Airport at Jingxin on China's border with Russia which lies on the polar route between Europe and Japan.1995, Peter J. Rimmer, “Integrating China into East Asia: Cross-border Regions and Infrastructure Networks”, in Stuart Harris, Garry…. From the entry Jingxin
It's tempting to stop and look up each of the genetic, legal and ethical aberrations described here in order to see how wild a strain of science fiction is afoot.2006 November 28, Janet Maslin, “Geneticists gone wild. What’s the world to do?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York…. From the entry unputdownable

Meaning of afoot

adverb On foot. (means of locomotion, walking).
adverb On foot. (support of the body, standing).
adverb In motion; in action; astir; stirring; in progress.

Full definition of afoot

Questions about afoot in a sentence

How do you use afoot in a sentence?: Afoot is used as an adverb and adjective. For example: “Possibly some chemical experiment was afoot; possibly----Well, it was no business of mine to speculate upon why he wanted it.”
What is a short sentence with afoot?: “I knew there was foul play afoot.””
What does afoot mean?: Afoot means on foot. (means of locomotion, walking).

Adapted from Wiktionary: afoot (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use afoot in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/afoot. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.