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

Gier used archival footage, interviews, and reenactments to bring the stories to life. — Amy Delaura, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2026

The latest footage underscores the company’s push to develop versatile robotic systems capable of handling complex terrain for industrial, exploration, and emergency operations. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026

In body camera footage from the rescue, officers can be seen cutting the bolt on the back door of the trailer, revealing the two children and Brown sitting among piles of blankets. — Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

As the group makes its way across the globe, Lovelace and Southern interrupt the concert footage with miniature portraits of fans in each tour stop. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 7 Sep. 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