footstep
Americannoun
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footsteps
plural
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the setting down of a foot, or the sound so produced; footfall; tread.
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the distance covered by a step in walking; pace.
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a footprint.
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a step by which to ascend or descend.
idioms
noun
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the action of taking a step in walking
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the sound made by stepping or walking
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the distance covered with a step; pace
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a footmark
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a single stair; step
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to continue the tradition or example of another
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of footstep
First recorded in 1175–1225, footstep is from Middle English foote steppe. See foot, step
Vocabulary lists containing footstep
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The duo went 1-2 in the 200, with Coleman beating his older teammate for the first time, edging him by a footstep, 21.01 to 21.27.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2023
Each footstep was recorded in a track of mud, to be analyzed.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2021
“I don’t see myself doing nothing else. I’m almost there. Being a cadet gave me a footstep in the door.”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 18, 2021
Aching joints are a given, blisters common and twisted ankles never more than a stray footstep in the woods away.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2021
I walk slowly here, in and out through patches of sunlight like empty mansion rooms, methodically listening to each footstep press the grass.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
It refers to the child of a famous artist who follows in their parent’s footsteps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
I have always slept better in apartment buildings than in silent houses, soothed by footsteps overhead and doors closing somewhere down the hall.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
In 1980, Parton followed in Elvis’s footsteps and headed to Las Vegas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Many commentators believe he is well-placed to follow in his predecessors' footsteps.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
And the only sound I could hear was his retreating footsteps in the darkness.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
