footnote
Americannoun
-
footnotes
plural
-
an explanatory or documenting note or comment at the bottom of a page, referring to a specific part of the text on the page.
-
a minor or tangential comment or event added or subordinated to a main statement or more important event.
verb (used with object)
-
footnotes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
footnoted,
past participle, past
-
footnoting
present participle
noun
-
a note printed at the bottom of a page, to which attention is drawn by means of a reference mark in the body of the text
-
an additional comment, as to a main statement
verb
Usage
What’s the difference between a footnote and an endnote? A footnote is a note at the bottom (the “foot”) of a page. An endnote is a note at the end of a text (such as an article, a chapter, or an entire book). The difference between footnotes and endnotes is their location, not their function. Both consist of information added to a text in another spot, such as an explanation or a citation of a source. They are both usually indicated with some kind of mark, often an asterisk* or a number¹. The same mark appears in another part of the text along with the corresponding note, either at the bottom of the page (making it a footnote) or at the end of the text (making it an endnote). Of course, if an article is only a single page, the note at the end could be called a footnote or an endnote. Here’s an example of footnote and endnote used correctly in the same sentence. Example: I use footnotes for tangential information so that readers can access it without turning the page, but I use endnotes for citations so they don’t clutter up the page. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between footnote and endnote.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
footnotesimple
-
footnotessimple
-
have footnotedperfect
-
has footnotedperfect
-
am footnotingprogressive
-
are footnotingprogressive
-
is footnotingprogressive
-
have been footnotingperfect progressive
-
has been footnotingperfect progressive
Past
-
footnotedsimple
-
had footnotedperfect
-
was footnotingprogressive
-
were footnotingprogressive
-
had been footnotingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of footnote
Compare meaning
How does footnote compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A footnote is a short bit of extra information that's printed at the bottom of a book's page. Some footnotes cite the authors and titles of the sources the author consulted while researching and writing. The presence of footnotes usually means you're reading an academic or scholarly work of nonfiction. Your history paper might include footnotes on each page, noting the books, journals, and websites you used for your research. Some contemporary novels have footnotes as well, a complex and playful way for the author to insert extra notes and details. The foot of a page is the bottom, which explains the word footnote.
Vocabulary lists containing footnote
Reading: Informational - Middle School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Selecting and Evaluating Sources and Research Report
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Reading: Informational - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Four minutes later, Cameron Hanekom scooped up scrappy ball to put the result beyond doubt and render replacement Beauden Barrett's late try only a footnote.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The footnote said the statement’s only dissenter was China because Beijing objected to several sections including the one about overreliance on exports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
“The Court has doubts that caselaw supports the construction of ‘fugitive’ that Texas is considering,” he wrote in a footnote.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
One final footnote: If a beneficiary is a minor, the bank generally won’t hand the money over outright.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
He could only guess what it might fully mean, even with the explanatory footnote.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
The idea that this has to be weighted down with law-review articles and footnotes and arcana about the history of a three-part test is a way of obfuscating, right?
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
These aspects of his career, while usually mentioned as footnotes to his artistic output, are indispensable to understanding his philosophy as a painter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Selections are described in the table of contents; footnotes running through the text would have been more convenient.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Some attendees even paid tribute to one of the most famous footnotes of Obama’s presidency by wearing tan suits, a lighthearted nod to the outfit that once sparked outsized political controversy.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
Now I have bent close with a glass over the small print of her and reread the footnotes, and I wonder if it was true.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Upward of $10 million, Martha Ackmann reports in “Ain’t Nobody’s Fool,” a deeply detailed, and footnoted, account of Ms. Parton’s life and career.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
Another was footnoted with the words "official – sensitive" which, according to government guidance, can in some cases mean the information could lead to a "threat to life" if compromised.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2025
Sprigman, whose research into constitutional change is footnoted in the commission's report, argues that the Constitution is ill-equipped to handle many modern public policy questions — including complex healthcare reform.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2024
This is the Fellas … you know what I’m talking about defense, although it is not footnoted as such.
From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2024
And, with his help, by spring I have a 112-page thesis, researched, footnoted, documented, and neatly bound in black leather.
From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
Most Americans probably have a hard time imagining future historians ever footnoting American democracy with beginning and end dates.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 28, 2022
“He recognizes the headline he created yesterday is more important than all the footnoting and cleaning up that comes afterward,” Mr. Thavis said.
From New York Times ● Oct. 22, 2020
In a 37-minute press conference on September 17, 1987 — the third day of the Bork hearings —Biden only copped to an unintentional footnoting gaffe.
From Fox News ● May 2, 2019
Often compared to an electronic version of the footnoting system used by researchers the world over, hypertext underpins the web, enabling you to jump from one source of information to another.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 13, 2018
Often he defers to their words, footnoting his own advice, even though he obviously thought the same things himself.
From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
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.
