footage

noun

foot·​age ˈfu̇-tij 

1

: recorded video material

A camerawoman from Channel 12 shows up to grab some footage for the evening news.

—Bari Walsh

Video footage posted online shows him daring an audience member to fight …

—Latifah Muhammad

Ramsay uses security footage from inside and outside of the brownstone to detail Joe's actions.

—Kyle Turner

The documentary series that presents archival images and film footage in color continues, this week focusing on memorable events from the 1940s.

—Kristi Turnquist

2

: length or quantity expressed in feet: such as

a

: board feet

b

: the total number of running feet of motion-picture film used (as for a scene or subject)

The people of Hiroshima had a fund-raising campaign to purchase footage from films taken by American photographers … . They calculated they could purchase ten feet of footage for one thousand yen …

—Ruth Ann Keyso and Masahide Ota

Examples of footage in a Sentence

Some disturbing footage of the war was shown on the evening news.

Recent Examples on the Web

The heartwarming film takes us on a ride through archive and new footage and rehearsals and re-enactments of Happy Gays that bring up happy but also painful memories, along with a different side of the at times curmudgeonly Jolanda. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026

Detectives reviewed surveillance footage from the 7-Eleven, where Blancas-Espinosa was seen pulling up to the pump bay and getting out of the car near the trash can by the fuel pump, the affidavit read. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Nov. 2026

Investigators are reviewing dashboard camera footage and other video recorded by drivers and bystanders. — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026

Ronaldo's farewell video was of him reading out his retirement announcement, interspersed with clips of him playing for the national team and footage of Portuguese fans. — ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing footage

• stock footage

Kids Definition

footage

noun

foot·​age ˈfu̇-tij 

1

: length measured in feet

2

: scenes or action recorded on film or video