footprint

American  

[foot-print] / ˈfʊtˌprɪnt /

noun

• footprints
  plural

1. a mark left by the shod or unshod foot, as in earth or sand.

2. an impression of the sole of a person's foot, especially one taken for purposes of identification.

3. Informal. the track of a tire, especially on wet pavement.

4. a unique set of characteristics, actions, etc., that leave a trace and serve as a means of identification.

   Be careful when you post on social media—your online footprint could harm your reputation.

   The tumors share the same genetic footprint.

5. the area affected by an increase in the level of sound or noise, as that generated by an airplane.

6. Telecommunications. the area of the earth's surface within which a communications satellite's signals can be received.

7. Aerospace. the area within which it is predicted that a spacecraft or its debris will land.

8. the surface space of a desk or tabletop occupied by a piece of equipment, especially a computer or other electronic device.

9. the surface area occupied by any structure, device, etc..

   The new store will have a large footprint.

10. the impact that humans have on the environment, especially in the utilization of natural resources.

    China's water footprint;

    ways to reduce our environmental footprint.

11. any impact or effect, or its scope.

    the company’s wide footprint across the state.

12. Also called ecological footprint.  the amount of biologically productive land and ocean area required to sustain the resource consumption and waste production of an individual, population, or human activity: measured in global acres or hectares.

13. Computers. the amount of memory or disk space required by a program.

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footprint British  

/ ˈfʊtˌprɪnt /

noun

1. an indentation or outline of the foot of a person or animal on a surface

2. the shape and size of the area something occupies

   enlarging the footprint of the building

   a computer with a small footprint

3. impact on the environment

4. a military presence

   since 1944, America's military footprint in Europe has been in the West

5. computing the amount of resources, such as disk space and memory, that an application requires See also electronic footprint

6. an identifying characteristic on land or water, such as the area in which an aircraft's sonic boom can be heard or the area covered by the down-blast of a hovercraft

7. the area in which the signal from a direct broadcasting satellite is receivable

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• footprints
  plural

Etymology

Origin of footprint

First recorded in 1545–55; foot + print

Explanation

A footprint is the mark left by your feet on the ground or floor. If you dog runs away from you on the beach, you might find her by following her footprints in the sand. Your dad might scold you for tracking footprints across the clean kitchen floor — or you might hurry outside after a blizzard to be the first person in your neighborhood to make footprints in the fresh snow. A footprint is proof that you were there: similarly, a figurative kind of footprint is evidence of someone or something's presence or influence. For example, a company's "carbon footprint" is the amount of polluting greenhouse gas it emits.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

footprint footprints

But that doesn't allay the fears of people living in communities where potential sites have been identified because the faceless, warehouse-like buildings housing the servers can cover a massive footprint.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Respondents in the Eaton fire footprint were “more than five times as likely as respondents in the Palisades fire footprint to report no awareness of road closures or no closure updates,” the report said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

The company said its aircraft “create tens of thousands of U.S. jobs through the company’s growing American footprint as well as within its supply chain made up of approximately 2,800 American companies across 47 states.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Our data centers should use nonpotable water and off-grid electricity from reliable sources and minimize their environmental footprint while lowering taxes and energy bills.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

What in the world could make a footprint as large as that?

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Other influencer-led companies that have expanded production footprints in the city include Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal’s Mythical Entertainment and Alan Chikin Chow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

That transformation will likely go beyond the energy and water footprints of data centers or electricity generation, promising everything from affordable and palatable cultivated meats to lower-impact precision agriculture to hyperefficient jet engines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

The hauntingly lighted displays include the engraved jaw of a sacrifice victim and footprints embedded in stucco, as if the Aztec teens had just run upstairs for a break.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Some of the vehicles abandoned by foreign forces went on display this week, including a Humvee covered in dusty footprints and wrapped in fairy lights.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

He looked for more footprints and the string of cactus flower petals.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Related Words

• footstep
• impression
• imprint