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Synonyms

footfall

American  
[foot-fawl] / ˈfʊtˌfɔl /

noun

  1. a footstep.

  2. the sound of footsteps.

    She heard a footfall on the stairs.
footfall British  
/ ˈfʊtˌfɔːl /

noun

  1. the sound of a footstep

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of footfall

First recorded in 1600–10; foot + fall

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.

Nispel said that attendance at Disney’s parks climbed 3%, while footfall at Universal Studios rose 12% from a year earlier in March, citing geolocation data from Placer.ai that tracks when unique devices enter an area.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

“With Easter and the school holidays falling earlier this year, retailers were expecting a stronger boost to footfall than March delivered,” BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Some businesses in the city have told the BBC they have seen a decline in footfall as students "hide in their bedrooms".

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

Elsewhere, Dubai-focused UAE property developers like Aldar face risks from lower footfall and weaker investor confidence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

He paced the rooms with his arms crossed, bits of mud shaking off of his boots with each furious footfall.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

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.