What is the Meaning of the Phrase ‘Think on One’s Feet’?

To think on your feet means —

• to think very quickly in a stressful situation;
• to read a situation and react fast;
• to adjust and respond rapidly to changing circumstances.

This phrase comes from the field of public speaking.

Imagine a speaker standing before an audience and taking questions. To reply to these questions, he will have to think quickly; only then can he respond with some good answers.

Let’s see an example —

“You must be able to think on your feet if you are running a startup. You will face critical situations every day.”

You must be able to adjust and react quickly to new situations if you are running a startup.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.