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

However, reducing their carbon footprint could require replacing natural gas with hydrogen, methanol, or other e-fuels. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026

Amazon’s carbon footprint grew for the second year in a row in 2025, as the tech giant accelerated its data center buildout, investing $220 billion in capital expenditure in 2026 alone. — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Air travel accounts for roughly 20% of the entire global tourism carbon footprint, and one of the aviation industry’s best levers for reducing carbon emissions is the use of SAF. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

In time, Nocera hopes his inventions will allow individuals and companies alike to cut their carbon footprint, while also providing new clean energy sources. — Abraham Swee, USA Today, 22 Sep. 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