footage
Americannoun
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length or extent in feet.
the footage of lumber.
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a portion of raw video recorded for subsequent editing and use in one or more video clips or packages, broadcasts, or movies: raw footage that ended up on the cutting room floor.
newsreel footage;
raw footage that ended up on the cutting room floor.
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Mining.
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payment by the running foot of work done.
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the amount so paid.
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noun
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a length or distance measured in feet
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the extent of film material shot and exposed
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the sequences of filmed material
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payment, by the linear foot of work done
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the amount paid
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of footage
Explanation
Footage is a section of film or video that's been shot or recorded. A TV news station might play dramatic footage of a tornado's aftermath. A film clip or a scene from a movie in production are both footage. Part of a film editor's job is combining all the best footage into a longer piece. Another kind of footage is a way to measure space — when you're selling a house, you'll need to advertise its size, or square footage. The film meaning dates from 1916, from foot as a unit of measurement, in this case of a length of film.
Vocabulary lists containing footage
Lessons 2–3
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Lessons 4–5
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Lessons 1–2
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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.
Artificial intelligence has been deployed to help monitor the footage from thousands of cameras in and around the holy city of Mecca.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
To follow Norman’s every move, the set contained 46 cameras — most of them hidden — to capture over 4,600 hours of footage.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
Until now, body-worn video has only typically been published after the conclusion of any criminal proceedings, meaning the public was only seeing a "partial picture" from footage shared online by others.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
Using the ROV, the team collected the octopus specimen and also recorded video footage of two others that appeared to be the same species.
From Science Daily • May 25, 2026
She draws my attention to one of the large screens that play footage taken from my mission.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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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.