footprint
Americannoun
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footprints
plural
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a mark left by the shod or unshod foot, as in earth or sand.
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an impression of the sole of a person's foot, especially one taken for purposes of identification.
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Informal. the track of a tire, especially on wet pavement.
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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.
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the area affected by an increase in the level of sound or noise, as that generated by an airplane.
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Telecommunications. the area of the earth's surface within which a communications satellite's signals can be received.
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Aerospace. the area within which it is predicted that a spacecraft or its debris will land.
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the surface space of a desk or tabletop occupied by a piece of equipment, especially a computer or other electronic device.
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the surface area occupied by any structure, device, etc..
The new store will have a large footprint.
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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.
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any impact or effect, or its scope.
the company’s wide footprint across the state.
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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.
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Computers. the amount of memory or disk space required by a program.
noun
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an indentation or outline of the foot of a person or animal on a surface
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the shape and size of the area something occupies
enlarging the footprint of the building
a computer with a small footprint
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impact on the environment
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a military presence
since 1944, America's military footprint in Europe has been in the West
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computing the amount of resources, such as disk space and memory, that an application requires See also electronic footprint
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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
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the area in which the signal from a direct broadcasting satellite is receivable
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of footprint
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.
Vocabulary lists containing footprint
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 home underwent a more than $3.2 million renovation that upped its footprint to 4,142 square feet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
For a festival that can feel this homespun, its awards-season footprint is remarkably large.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The firm continues to have a large footprint in the North West, with about 500 jobs remaining at its UK head office at Media City in Salford and at a distribution centre in St Helens.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
The “Taxi Driver” star, who was born and raised in Manhattan, where he lived primarily in the Little Italy neighborhood, has since expanded his property footprint well beyond the confines of the city.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
I walk behind Marion, avoiding her single muddy footprint on the stone steps.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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
The researchers used analytical techniques first developed by their team in 2024 to identify the footprints as belonging to Paranthropus boisei.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 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
Studies have found that hospitals invest much of the subsidy money in financial assets and expanding their footprints and bureaucracy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
They weren't like the footprints the boots had made, though.
From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene
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.
