footprint

American  

[foot-print] / ˈfʊtˌprɪnt /

noun

• footprints
  plural

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• footprints
  plural

Etymology

Origin of footprint

First recorded in 1545–55; foot + print

Explanation

A footprint is the mark left by your feet on the ground or floor. If you dog runs away from you on the beach, you might find her by following her footprints in the sand. Your dad might scold you for tracking footprints across the clean kitchen floor — or you might hurry outside after a blizzard to be the first person in your neighborhood to make footprints in the fresh snow. A footprint is proof that you were there: similarly, a figurative kind of footprint is evidence of someone or something's presence or influence. For example, a company's "carbon footprint" is the amount of polluting greenhouse gas it emits.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

footprint footprints

This type of aquaculture also has a low carbon footprint and the shells function as a form of carbon capture, according to a 2020 paper by the scientific journal Nature Food.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

The ezCater acquisition comes as Uber moves to broaden its global food delivery footprint.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Bernstein analyst Sunaina Ocalan said the Google deal “reinforces the strategic value of firm, clean, reliable power” and Constellation’s role in supplying it through its nuclear footprint.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Like its live sporting events, the free broadcast will allow Amazon to build a substantial global advertising footprint.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Looking around the footprint, I see white roses sticking out from the grooved letters.

From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Since it began surveys in May, the CRT has installed 39 footprint tunnels along hedgerows and woodland edges, with nine of the tunnels recording dormouse footprints.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

For more than a century, scientists have tried to reconstruct the biology of Tyrannosaurus rex from bones, teeth, footprints, and other traces left behind more than 60 million years ago.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

Other influencer-led companies that have expanded production footprints in the city include Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal’s Mythical Entertainment and Alan Chikin Chow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

The friction reflects how fundamentally different the two Detroit giants have become as diverging manufacturing footprints and supply chains have led them to seek contrasting favors in Washington.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Directly in front of Annabeth, sunk into the bog, were footprints the size of trash-can lids, with long, pointed toes.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• footstep
• impression
• imprint