footprint

American  

[foot-print] / ˈfʊtˌprɪnt /

noun

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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of footprint

First recorded in 1545–55; foot + print

Example Sentences

Targa said the acquisition will grow its sour gas treating capabilities and expand its gathering and processing footprint in the Permian Basin.

From The Wall Street Journal

But while VPNs do all of that, they don’t totally obscure your online footprint, and they don’t make you invincible.

From Salon

When these results are combined with fossilized footprints, the overall appearance of this duck-billed dinosaur, long speculated about but never documented with this level of precision, becomes much clearer.

From Science Daily

Military installations in South Korea, Japan and Guam maintain a U.S. footprint intended in part to deter Beijing.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fernando, as co-head until recently for Latin America structured credit trading and lending, has played a big role in overseeing the financing deals that have transformed the firm’s footprint in the region.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• footstep
• impression
• imprint