footstep
Americannoun
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footsteps
plural
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the setting down of a foot, or the sound so produced; footfall; tread.
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the distance covered by a step in walking; pace.
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a footprint.
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a step by which to ascend or descend.
idioms
noun
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the action of taking a step in walking
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the sound made by stepping or walking
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the distance covered with a step; pace
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a footmark
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a single stair; step
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to continue the tradition or example of another
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of footstep
First recorded in 1175–1225, footstep is from Middle English foote steppe. See foot, step
Vocabulary lists containing footstep
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.
See Examples For:
"You see every single footstep," says Clemens Pohl, chief executive, as he points to a chart revealing disturbances in the fibre optic signal.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2025
The duo went 1-2 in the 200, with Coleman beating his older teammate for the first time, edging him by a footstep, 21.01 to 21.27.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2023
They can be triggered by pressure, such as a footstep on or nearby the unit.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 31, 2023
Each footstep on the spongy ground seems to release fumes of decay into already fetid air.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2021
She could hear the rattle of the meal cart long before the rest of us and tell by the footstep who was passing in the corridor.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
He heard their footsteps as they ran down a walkway behind the house, past the tall windmill in their backyard.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
It refers to the child of a famous artist who follows in their parent’s footsteps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
He has bounced back superbly to come close to ending America's 23-year wait for somebody to finally follow in Roddick's footsteps.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
I have always slept better in apartment buildings than in silent houses, soothed by footsteps overhead and doors closing somewhere down the hall.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
Everybody was glancing around, wondering who would be the first to go in, when they heard a stampede of footsteps.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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.
