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

With the Sense app, the benefits can extend to lower consumption, bill savings and a smaller carbon footprint. — Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal, 3 Sep. 2026

Thorsmark said Copenhagen has measured its carbon footprint since 2020 and has reduced emissions in areas including food, transportation and merchandise. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026

The hotel keeps its carbon footprint down by not using air-conditioning in most spaces—they’ve had to make compromises and add them to a handful of cottages. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 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

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