carbon footprint

noun

: the amount of greenhouse gases and specifically carbon dioxide emitted by something (such as a person's activities or a product's manufacture and transport) during a given period

Examples of carbon footprint in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its more consequential proposal, however, is a new approach to calculating wool’s carbon footprint that produces dramatically lower results than conventional life-cycle assessments. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026

The carbon footprint was calculated using a range of usage from an industry average of 60% to 100% for round-the-clock deployment, and a gas burn rate of a typical single-cycle gas generator. — Matt Day, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026

The artificial intelligence boom is driving unprecedented demand for data centers, raising concerns about their growing energy consumption, water use and carbon footprint. — Nir Kshetri, The Conversation, 17 Aug. 2026

Participating Nike locations accept Nike brand athletic shoes through a recycling and donation program that’s part of the company’s Move to Zero mission to eliminate waste and reduce its carbon footprint. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for carbon footprint

• blueprint
• imprint
• misprint
• newsprint
• nonprint
• preprint
• reprint
• clint
• dint
• glint
• hint
• lint

Kids Definition

carbon footprint

noun

: the amount of greenhouse gases and especially carbon dioxide given off by something (as a person's activities or a product's manufacture and transport) during a given period