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

Studies have found that a single large private yacht can emit more than 5,000 metric tons of CO₂ each year, giving it a carbon footprint that dwarfs that of the average person. — Dea Jusufi, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Their core essential fabric carries a lifetime guarantee and a sustainable carbon footprint commitment. — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 20 July 2026

Eco effort The hotel monitors its energy consumption and carbon footprint, recycles, and tries to use local products. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026

Nevertheless, his various campaigns have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on chartered private flights, which generally have a 5-20 times higher carbon footprint per passenger than commercial airliners. — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 9 July 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