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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.

The cost of living is also being partly blamed for the closure, with footfall for the restaurant also down.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 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

However, sales at its clothing, home and beauty business fell, with M&S blaming the decline on lower footfall on the High Street and lingering issues from last year's cyber-attack.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

Although MRI's footfall data showed retail parks saw 8.2% more people visiting compared with last year, the rise has so far not been big enough to see an overall bump in Boxing Day visitors.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025

She hadn’t moved yet, but a wet footfall squelched from behind her.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

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.