footstep

noun

foot·​step ˈfu̇t-ˌstep 

1

: the mark of the foot : track

2

a

: tread

b

: distance covered by a step : pace

3

: a step on which to ascend or descend

4

: a way of life, conduct, or action

followed in their father's footsteps

Synonyms of footstep

• footprint
• step

Examples of footstep in a Sentence

She slowly took one footstep toward the frightened animal.

It's five footsteps from the bedroom to the bathroom.

Recent Examples on the Web

State lawmakers in the Michigan House of Representatives passed a bill to ban student phone use in classrooms, following in the footsteps of many states with device policies to curb the impact a proliferation of screens has had at schools, from distractions to cyberbullying. —Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 15 Jan. 2026

The two have welcomed six kids together, with their eldest son, Vinny, following in his father's athletic footsteps by committing to wrestle for Cornell University. —Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026

Following in a mentor’s footsteps Buffett sees profit in treating people with respect, following the model of Tom Murphy, the former CEO of Capital Cities/ABC and one of Buffett’s closest friends. —Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 15 Jan. 2026

Following the critical acclaim behind Moore's film The Substance last year, Kutcher is following in her footsteps by appearing in Ryan Murphy's upcoming series The Beauty. —Hannah Malach, InStyle, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for footstep

• bicep
• doorstep
• instep
• lockstep
• misstep
• sidestep
• cep
• hep
• pep
• prep
• rep
• sep

Kids Definition

footstep

noun

foot·​step -ˌstep 

1

a

: a step of the foot

b

: the distance covered by a step : pace

2

a

: the mark of the foot

b

: the sound of a footstep

3

: a step on which to go up or down